Pilostyles Explained

Pilostyles is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apodanthaceae. It includes about 11 species of very small, completely parasitic plants that live inside the stems of woody legumes.^{[1] [2]} Plants of this genus are sometimes referred to as stemsuckers.^[3]

The plants completely lack stems, roots, leaves, and chlorophyll. While not flowering, they do not resemble most plants, living entirely inside the host as " [...] a mycelium-like endophyte formed by strands of parenchyma cells that are in close contact to the host vasculature".^[4] Their presence is only noticeable when the flowers emerge out of the stems of the host plant.

Pilostyles is dioecious, with separate male and female plants.^[5] Male and female plants are not commonly known to inhabit the same host.^[6] Flowers are two or three millimeters wide and in some species each female flower can produce over 100 seeds, which are less than long.^[7]

Species are found in several countries, with a discontinuous distribution: species have been found in the United States, Mexico, Venezuela, Iran, Syria, and Australia.^[8]

Species include:

• Pilostyles aethiopica Welw.
• Pilostyles berteroi Guill.
• Pilostyles blanchetii (Gardner) R.Br.
• Pilostyles boyacensis F.Gonzáles & Pabón-Mora
• Pilostyles coccoidea K.R.Thiele
• Pilostyles collina Dell
• Pilostyles hamiltonii C.A.Gardner
• Pilostyles haussknechtii Boiss.
• Pilostyles maya P.Ortega, Gonz.-Martínez & S.Vásquez
• Pilostyles mexicana (Brandegee) Rose
• Pilostyles thurberi A.Gray

The genus was formerly considered a member of Rafflesiaceae, and was re-classified after new DNA evidence^[9]

External links

• Jepson Manual Treatment: Pilostyles
• Parasitic Plant Connection: Apodanthaceae

Notes and References

1. Web site: Pilostyles Guill. Plants of the World Online Kew Science . 2022-03-10 . Plants of the World Online . en.
2. Gomes . André Luis . Fernandes . G. Wilson . 1994-09-01 . Influence of Parasitism by Pilostyles ingae (Rafflesiaceae) on its Host Plant, Mimosa naguirei (Leguminosae) . . 74 . 3 . 205–208 . 10.1006/anbo.1994.1110.
3. http://www.plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PILOS USDA Plants Profile: Pilostyles
4. González . Angie D. . Pabón-Mora . Natalia . Alzate . Juan F. . González . Favio . 2020 . Meristem Genes in the Highly Reduced Endoparasitic Pilostyles boyacensis (Apodanthaceae) . Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution . 8 . 10.3389/fevo.2020.00209 . 2296-701X. free .
5. Fernandes . G. W. . De Mattos . E. A. . Franco . A. C. . Lüttge . U. . Ziegler . H. . 1998 . Influence of the Parasite Pilostyles ingae (Rafflesiaceae) on some Physiological Parameters of the Host Plant, Mimosa naguirei (Mimosaceae) . Botanica Acta . 111 . 51–54 . 10.1111/j.1438-8677.1998.tb00676.x. free .
6. Web site: McComb . Jen . 2018-08-13 . The mysterious Pilostyles is a plant within a plant . 2022-03-10 . Murdoch University . en.
7. Armstrong, W. Southern California's Most Unusual Wildflower
8. Filipowicz . Natalia . Renner . Susanne S . 2010-07-21 . The worldwide holoparasitic Apodanthaceae confidently placed in the Cucurbitales by nuclear and mitochondrial gene trees . BMC Evolutionary Biology . 10 . 1 . 219 . 10.1186/1471-2148-10-219 . 1471-2148 . 3055242 . 20663122 . free . 2010BMCEE..10..219F .
9. Web site: Stevens . P.F. . Apodanthaceae . 2013-07-02 . Angiosperm Phylogeny Website.