International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS
Welcome to the account of the International Parasitic Plant Society (IPPS)! Follow us for updates on the latest research, the diversity, and the impact on agriculture of these fascinating organisms!
For more, visit or join https://www.parasiticplants.org
- …beautiful plant – a sister species, Castilleja miniata, used to be on the cover of the famous Taiz-Zeiger textbook for Plant Physiology
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSThe parasitic plant Phtheirospermum japonicum suppresses host immunity biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSA mistletoe plant Here is something you don't see very often, a real mistletoe plant (Viscum album). It is a parasitic shrub that usually grows on both conifers and broadleaf trees. In this case, the specimen grew on a broadleaf tree.
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSBotanists track where a plant thief hides 🌱 Now in @botany.one 🌿 botany.fyi/tb947t Full paper: doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSUncovering how parasitic plants avoid attacking themselves to improve crop resistance Researchers uncovered how glucosylation of lignin-derived signals enables parasitic plants to avoid attacking themselves and related plants buff.ly/E02e14U via NAIST #PlantScience
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSThe North American Paintbrush Plant Castilleja coccinea is a hemi-parastic biennial. It does not require a host plant for it's lifecycle. However, it does greatly benefit by being able to steal nutrients from nearby hosts. In some areas of the country, there is also a yellow phenotype.
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSCome visit us in Western Australia Scott - aside from the Proteaceae there are some other pretty amazing plants to see, including the fabulous Nuytsia floribunda ( a parasitic plant) and Eucalyptus macrocarpa ( flowering now)
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSDesert broomrape (Aphyllon cooperi) flowering in Coyote Canyon. Broomrape is a parasitic plant growing attached to the roots of other plants taking its nutrients from a host plant nearby. It lacks leaves and chlorophyll (Photo: Sicco Rood).
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSThe children will Look at Sand Food
- ...a close call for the other plant.
- A Parasitic Plant Is Looking for a New Host… A parasitic plant (Cuscuta) loses its original host and probes a nearby plant using chemical cues. It never attaches — even after deploying massive new growth. #platbehaviour #parasiticplant #timelapseplants #plantscience #cuscuta #plantintelligence
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS“Shiny Striped Eyebright, Semi-Parasite” Euphrasia striata, commonly known as ‘shiny striped eyebright’ is an endemic Tasmanian species. It is semi-parasitic, forming a non-specific relationship by plugging into the root systems of the surrounding host during seedling establishment. 🧵
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSThis Bizarre Parasitic ‘Mushroom’ Plant Quit Photosynthesis – And It’s Thriving : ScienceAlert europesays.com/uk/661868/ A weird-looking parasitic plant has discarded all its photosynthesis machinery – and nevertheless has found a way to…
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSA Rare Parasitic Plant Lives Underground Without Photosynthesis and Reproduces Asexually Some plants bend the rules of plant life so far that they barely resemble plants at all. Balanophora... s.faithcollapsing.com/6uix2#planet-earth
- New Post: IPPS Plant Photo Library www.parasiticplants.org/2025/12/ipps...
- Updated Post: Update: 18th World Congress on Parasitic Plants, 31 May – 5 June 2026, São Sebastião, Brazil. www.parasiticplants.org/2025/12/upda...
- New Post: Parasitic plants avoid self-recognition through glucosylation of haustorium-inducing factors www.parasiticplants.org/2025/12/para...
- New Post: The IPPS wishes you a happy and successful 2026! www.parasiticplants.org/2025/12/the-...
- New Post: Evergreen to ever-changing: How mountain forests rely on mistletoes for survival www.parasiticplants.org/2025/12/ever...
- New Post: 4th International Congress on Strigolactones (ICS2026) Paris www.parasiticplants.org/2025/12/4th-...
- New Post: Update: 18th World Congress on Parasitic Plants – São Sebastião, Brazil (new dates and venue) www.parasiticplants.org/2025/12/upda...
- New Post: Our online survey on parasitic weeds in Europe is soon closing www.parasiticplants.org/2025/11/our-...
- New Post: December IPPS Seminars by Natalia Pabón Mora, Huiting Zhang and Ahmed Choukri www.parasiticplants.org/2025/11/dece...
- New Post: Rain brings surprising shifts for desert mistletoes and their animal visitors www.parasiticplants.org/2025/11/rain...
- "Rain brings surprising shifts for desert mistletoes and their animal visitors" by Francisco E. Fonturbel Preview: In the dry landscapes of north-central Chile, a large rainfall unexpectedly changed the rules of survival for two local… Source: parasiticplants.org/b/TJX #parasiticplants
- Updated Post: First National Symposium on Parasitic Plants Successfully Concluded in Kunming, China www.parasiticplants.org/2025/11/firs...
- New Post: First National Symposium on Parasitic Plants Successfully Concluded in Kunming, China www.parasiticplants.org/2025/11/firs...
- New Post: Haustorium 88 is now available for download on the IPPS website. www.parasiticplants.org/2025/11/haus...
- The 88th issue of Haustorium is here! Updates from IPPS, new research discussions, and more — curated by Chris Parker: www.parasiticplants.org/2025/11/haus...
- New Post: The role of soil microbiota in the control of parasitic weeds www.parasiticplants.org/2025/10/the-...
- "The role of soil microbiota in the control of parasitic weeds" by Harro Bouwmeester Preview: Happy to present the work of postdoc Pornkanok Pongpamorn and PhD student Michelle Zwart, carried out in the Promise II project lead by Jos… Source: parasiticplants.org/b/TDt #parasiticplants
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS🎉🆕📰🎉: Parasitic plants show striking convergence in host preference across angiosperm lineages doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSWalking around Forest Hill Park yesterday, I came across a genus completely new to me: Beechdrops (Epifagus virginiana), a parasitic plant that subsists and grows on the roots of American beech. Completely lacking in chlorophyll, it produces small brown stems and white/purple flowers #RVA #plants
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSThe floral ABCs of Hydnora, one of the most bizarre parasitic plants in the world, and its autotrophic relatives of the order Piperales evodevojournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s1… #EvoDevo
- Highly recommended! Did you know that the term “haustorium” originated in the study of #parasiticplants and was only later adopted by microbiologists?
- Host Matt Kasson chats with Dr. Jim Westwood of Virginia Tech about parasitic plants, how they communicate with their hosts, and what his research reveals about these fascinating species. 🎧 Listen now: plantopiapodcast.org/65
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSSimon's mutant finally published! Well done, Satoko' lab with Harro, Tobimatsu, Tohge collaborations. Glucosylation of endogenous haustorium-inducing factors underpins kin avoidance in parasitic plants | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
- Parasitic plants shedding light on kin recognition, or rather avoidance in this case
- Proud to have contributed to this beauty from Satoko Yoshida's lab: Glucosylation of endogenous haustorium-inducing factors underpins kin avoidance in parasitic plants | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
- Updated Post: November IPPS Seminars by Guillaume Brun and Martina Leso www.parasiticplants.org/2025/10/nove...
- Orobanche cumana in the USA!
- We’re pleased to share the speakers for our November IPPS seminar: Guillaume Brun and Martina Leso www.parasiticplants.org/2025/10/nove...
- And another IPPS member news from Stefano Pavan: www.parasiticplants.org/2025/10/fiel...
- IPPS member news from Francisco E. Fonturbe: www.parasiticplants.org/2025/10/mist...
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS#leptomeria preissiana putting on a show! This is a widespread hemiparasitic shrub that is within thee #Santalaceae family! I love our odd parasitic plants here!
- Parasitic plants need a host to survive. With an organ called an haustorium they attach to their host. Now a new study gives insights in haustorium developmend. Read more about this study on my blog plantenzo.net/2025/09/30/p... plantenzo.substack.com/p/parasite-o... 🧪 #PlantScience
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSParasitic plants help build lignin deposits in host tissues 🌿 Now in @botany.one 🌿 botany.fyi/lq45ex Full paper: doi.org/10.1093/aob/...
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSPart of a series on Nobody Nursery plants native to the Willamette Valley: Grindelia integrifolia (Puget Sound / Willamette Valley gumweed) inoculated with Aphyllon californicum (CA broomrape) It’s so fun to grow gumweed as a host for this cute little parasitic plant in the paintbrush family.
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSMarsh lousewort 🩷 A semi-parasitic plant that takes nutrients from others growing near it - hence it weakens reeds & helps increase fen biodiversity... Photograph from Oxfordshire, UK by the ever-observant Beatrice Groves
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSLovely to see quite a few patches of this unusual parasitic plant on Canford Heath yesterday. Dodder - Cuscuta epithymum.
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSI went outside and saw Agalinis tenuifolia, a dainty and uncommon parasitic plant
- #PhytoFacts Weird Wednesday is brought to you by Broomrapes! With a staggering 150 species, these parasitic plants sport gorgeous flowers with tiny seeds. No leaves. No chlorophyll. They get all their food and nutrients from their host. www.britannica.com/plant/broomr...
- Scaldweed, Cuscuta gronovii, a native annual non-photosynthetic #parasitic #plant - haustoria instead of roots; shares #herbivores with its host plants (you are what you eat) - but a #flowering plant nonetheless. Most plant communities have several distantly related species of parasitic angiosperms
- elephantella :) #parasiticplants
- 👻🌿 Creepy plant: Elephant’s Head! This eerie wildflower looks like tiny pink elephant heads — but don’t be fooled by its cute face. It’s a native parasitic plant, latching onto the roots of nearby grasses & sedges to steal nutrients. 😱 #WSWS #spookyplants #weirdweeds #botany
- Happy to announce the speakers of our October IPPS Online seminar: Guojing Shen and Laia Jené www.parasiticplants.org/2025/09/ipps...
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS
We are looking for a PDRA for the PlantPlug project, turning parasitic plants into programmable bio-modules! Using mistletoe as a novel chassis, we are exploring the frontiers of inter-species communication. Apply online by 15/10/2025. *RP* #PlantSciencesJobs vacancies.essex.ac.uk/tlive_webrec... - Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSParasitic plants. Ants that both live where the plants’ host does and like the taste part of the seed covering
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSWell done, Max! Neofunctionalized RGF pathways drive haustorial organogenesis in parasitic plants | Science Advances www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
- Parasitic plants help build lignin deposits in host tissues Their unknown function in developing hausteria remains to be uncovered. botany.one/2025/09/para... #Botany #PlantScience
- Summer break is over - we resume with our IPPS Online Seminar on Wednesday, 3rd: www.parasiticplants.org/2025/09/ipps...
- Parasitic trees
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSAlso found today: some kind of parasitic orange flowering vine that looks like someone spilled spaghetti all over the usual plants
- Curious about these plants? Follow the International Parasitic Plant Society on BlueSky for all the latest news on #parasiticplants!
- Leafless and mysterious parasitic plant survives by stealing water from other plants #EarthDotCom #EarthSnap #Earth
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSVery happy to share our preprint on sorghum strigolactone diversity! 🌱 Sorghum naturally varies in strigolactones, plant hormones that can sometimes protect against the parasitic plant Striga. We asked if this diversity could be connected to potential trade-offs in host resistance strategies.
- A close-up of the development of a parasitic endophyte by @l-teixeiracosta.bsky.social and colleagues. #parasiticplants
- 🎉 Great news! The paper ‘Plant life without leaves, roots or stems: anatomy, development and three-dimensional structure of the endoparasite Pilostyles blanchetii (Apodanthaceae) in Mimosa hosts’ in @annbot.bsky.social by G. Ceccantini and co-authors is now #free for 2 weeks 🧵(1/8) 👉 doi.org/p2bd
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSYou might miss this rare plant in the Gorge or even step on it. It's the pine (or conifer) broomrape, Orobanche pinorum. It's a parasitic plant that grows in rocky soils & open forests below 7000 ft. It feeds on roots of the oceanspray shrub, Holodiscus discolor. No Native ... #Nativeplants
- Announcement of a chromosome-level assembly and annotation of #parasiticplant Cuscuta campestris
- Two parasitic species form two different kingdoms in one post :) #parasiticplants
- Red Bartsia Bees only take pollen from that plant and are mainly a chalk downland species in Sussex, but several today in a Red Bartsia-rich meadow at Weir Wood Reservoir in the High Weald, attended by their parasitic Blunthorn Nomad Bees. @sussexwildlife.bsky.social
- ...when parasites become hosts #parasiticplants
- To gall researchers, the two papers of my previous supervisor have been out! I am very happy to somewhat contribute one of them. Please check it out! Parasitic-Plant Parasite Rewires Flowering Pathways to Induce Stem-Derived Galls | Udandarao et al. (2025) Plant Direct doi.org/10.1002/pld3...
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSThyme Broomrape, Orobanche alba. Up to 25cm. Dark orange-red, stocky stem. Reddish scales at stem base. Inflorescence has only a few flowers. Parasitic on Wild Thyme. Grows on rocky habitats. (Distribution map from online BSBI 2020 Plant Atlas)
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSOhhhh man. Ohhh man! Look at them! This is Lemon Paintbrush, variant of Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja purpurea var. citrina)! These plants are semi-parasitic on the roots of other plants (to help them survive in the rocky and sandy soils in which they grow). (This was a new find this year!)
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSBroomrape and woolly thistle at Shipton Bellinger today
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSA HIDDEN SABOTEUR: Pilostyles hamiltoniorum is a parasitic plant that lives INSIDE its host, only revealing itself through tiny flowers on the stems. New research shows this endoparasite slashes flower production by 52% in its host plants, despite being almost invisible! OA paper ➡️ buff.ly/gArS9tO
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSGolden thread so strong, Easily making its hold, Green host just may die. #haikufeels #make #Haiku #Poetry #BlueskyPhotography #Five-AngledDodder #Weeds #Garden #Gardening #Nature
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSWhat is that stuff, orange spaghetti? No! That is dodder (Cuscuta sp.), a parasitic flowering plant. I once determined the species, but I cannot remember which one it is. The slightly immature flower buds can be seen in the second image. 🌿
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSdrhoz.tumblr.com/post/7909025... One of a genus of parasitic plant remarkably similar in appearance to the unrelated Dodder (Cuscuta sp.). The only way to tell them apart with any reliability is to wait until they flower. Goodale Sanctuary, West Coolup, WA
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSDodder (Cuscuta epithymum) flowering on fixed dune, a wholly parasitic plant. It seems to particularly enjoy parasitising Sea sandwort (Honckenya peploides) which has turned yellow from stress. 📍Maharees, Co Kerry
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSIn other news, I finally made it to the local park for a very short walk today, after two months sick in bed. The plants were full of flutter-bys, & also what I think is witches' hair; it's a parasitic plant really common in the part of Cali I'm from, but I'd never seen it in New England before.
- Well done and well deserved! This will also bring more attention to parasitic plant research within the scientific community.
- New @ISMPMI Board Members #DreamTeam 😍 🇬🇧 🇨🇳 🇨🇦 🇦🇷 🇩🇪 🇰🇪
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS7) Rafflesia — parasitic plant that produces the largest flower, 20 lbs. The flower looks and smells like rotting flesh and attracts flies as pollinators. Does it have to be do ostentatious? No but it’s free, so fuck it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSI think this a flower spike of Common Broomrape (Orobanche minor) on East path @northcavewet.bsky.social. A parasitic plant that doesn’t go to all the bother of photosynthesis, it just taps into the roots of other plants and steals their energy!
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSEvery summer we get Monotropa hypopitys growing on the same patch of forest floor on our property. This is a relatively uncommon parasitic plant without any chlorophyll. It gets its nutrients by leeching them from fungi! They’re pretty neat looking.
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSNow is out! Cui, M., Shi, D., Yamaji, M. et al. Integration of single nucleus RNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq reveals gene regulatory networks for vascular connection between parasitic plants and host plants. J Plant Res (2025). doi.org/10.1007/s102...
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSTranquil and sunny Wharram Quarry with super-rare thistle broomrape and scores of orchids. The broomrape is a parasitic plant that lives on thistles and has no photosynthesis of its own - in the whole UK, it's only found at a handful of sites in Yorkshire. @yorkswildlife.bsky.social
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSCancer-root (Conopholis alpina) emerging from the forest floor. This parasitic plant lives in the soil but pokes flower stalks above ground level to reproduce. Bears eat the stalks and thus spread the seeds. Photo taken in Las Huertas Canyon on May 18, 2025. #nature #naturephotography #flowers
- Not as voracious as the holoparasites but intriguing anyway, and considered to be ecosystem engineers.
- Aren't they cool!?
- Popped by to see another of my favourite wildflowers today. It has no leaves and indeed it contains no chlorophyll! This super-cool botanical vampire - the Ivy Broomrape, Orobanche hederae, obtains all of its nutrients from the Ivy plant that it parasitises! #ParasiticPlants #wildflowerhour
- A new review on a.o the role of strigolactones in the interaction of plants with parasitic Orobanchaceae and microbiota.
- The July IPPS online seminar will be about broomrapes: www.parasiticplants.org/2025/06/ipps...
- A fantastic find by #NorfolkFloraGroup botanists - the yellow form of Ivy Broomrape Orobanche hederae f monochroa on a mid-Norfolk road verge. A very welcome addition to the county’s flora.
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS...here is the link to the latest and all previous editions. Consider joining the IPPS @parasiticplants.bsky.social to support your scientific society: www.parasiticplants.org/haustorium/
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSDrawing your attention to this wonderful resource from the IPPS – the Haustorium Newsletter edited by Chris Parker – now in its 87th edition. Chris, who is a few years older than the number of this issue, reviewed recent publications on parasitic plants and commented briefly on most of them (>200).
- Here is a snippet from the latest Haustorium Newsletter - the biannual newsletter on parasitic plants curated by Chris Parker. Follow the link to the IPPS webpage to download the latest issue. www.parasiticplants.org/2025/05/from...
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSWhat is this? Believe it or not, a plant in bloom! Conopholis americana goes by several common names (bear corn is my fave). As a parasitic plant, it lacks chlorophyll and does no photosynthesis. Rather, it connects to oak roots and thieves the resources it needs
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPS#photography #canyon #nature It's a parasitic plant called dodder - boring name. Also known as devil's guts wizard's net. Much better. 😉
- Reposted by International Parasitic Plant Society - IPPSflowers of the parasitic plant *Orobanche uniflora*. It does not produce chlorophyll and takes all its nutrients from other plants
- …and here is another article from the Haustorium 87 Newsletter written by @harrobouwmeester.bsky.social www.parasiticplants.org/2025/05/from...
- Here is a snippet from the latest Haustorium Newsletter - the biannual newsletter on parasitic plants curated by Chris Parker. Follow the link to the IPPS webpage to download the latest issue. www.parasiticplants.org/2025/05/from...
