The World Flora Online

Holoparasite'± charnu sur racines, troncs ou rameaux, à appareil végétatif dépouvu de racines et réduit à un organe thalloïde vivant dans les tissus de l'hôte et produisant de courts rameaux aériens insérés dans une cupule de l'hôte et munis de feuilles bractéiformes.'Fleurs'solitaires, plus rarement en épis, en racèmes ou en ombelles, à l'extrémité des rameaux aériens, ♂ ♀ ou ☿ et actinomorphes; périgone à 3-6 tépales libres ou plus souvent soudés; androcée variable, à anthères sessiles et disposées sur 1-4 rangs autour d'une colonne centrale ± dilatée au sommet dans les fleurs ♂ ou formant capuchon autour de l'ovaire dans les fleurs ☿; ovaire infère ou parfois supère, 1-loculaire et à placentation pariétale, avec placentas ± saillants, ou irrégulièrement divisé en nombreuses cavités pluriovulées.'Baies à nombreuses petites graines albuminées; embryon globuleux non différencié.\n\t\t\tLa famille comprend 8 genres et 53 espèces, parasites sur ligneux dans les régions tropicales et subtropicales. Les organes aériens de ces plantes sont de taille variable, minuscules et peu apparents ou de grandes dimensions.

Parasitic plants on roots and branches of various hosts, thalloid, or vegetatively reduced to an almost mycelial endophytic system with only the flowers emerging from the host tissue, achlorophyllous, monoecious, dioecious, or rarely the flowers of one plant bisexual Leaves absent (or reduced to scales subtending the flowers) Flowers very small to very large, solitary (rarely in spikes), subtended by bracts, actinomorphic Perianth ± epigynous, sometimes fleshy; perianth segments (tepals)3–12, free or basally connate, imbricate or valvate, 1–2-seriate Seeds minute, numerous, albuminous Fruit a berry Stigma discoid, capitate or many-lobed Style 1 or absent Ovary ± inferior, unilocular; ovules numerous, pendulous from apex of loculus or with parietal placentation Stamens 8–many usually fused, in 1–3 series around a fleshy central column; disk sometimes present; anthers sessile, dehiscing by slits or terminal pores Leaves absent (or reduced to scales subtending the flowers) Flowers very small to very large, solitary (rarely in spikes), subtended by bracts, actinomorphic Perianth ± epigynous, sometimes fleshy; perianth segments (tepals)3–12, free or basally connate, imbricate or valvate, 1–2-seriate Seeds minute, numerous, albuminous Fruit a berry Stigma discoid, capitate or many-lobed Style 1 or absent Ovary ± inferior, unilocular; ovules numerous, pendulous from apex of loculus or with parietal placentation Stamens 8–many usually fused, in 1–3 series around a fleshy central column; disk sometimes present; anthers sessile, dehiscing by slits or terminal pores

Herbs, fleshy, parasitic on roots, stems, or branches of various hosts. Vegetative body thalloid or reduced to myceliumlike tissue within host. Normal leaves absent. Inflorescences terminal, usually 1-flowered, rarely a spike; bracts scale-like, several at base of inflorescence. Flowers usually unisexual (plants dioecious or monoecious), bisexual in Mitrastemon, actinomorphic, minute to extremely large [Rafflesia arnoldii R. Brown of Indonesia (Sumatra) produces a flower to 7.5 kg and to 1 m in diam.], 4-10-merous. Perianth lobes well-developed or absent, basally connate, rarely free. Stamens 5 to very numerous, in 1-3 series, fused with the rudimentary pistil into a gynostemium or in bisexual flowers connate into a cylinder; free filaments absent; anthers 2-loculed, dehiscent longitudinally or by apical pores. Ovary superior, semisuperior, or inferior, absent in male flowers, 1-loculed with many parietal placentas; ovules numerous, anatropous, integuments 1 or 2. Style 1 or none; stigma discoid, capitate, or with many lobes. Fruit a berry. Seeds minute, very numerous; testa hard; endosperm present.