Natural History Photographs


Ecological interactions among plants
Holoparasitic plants

Holoparasitic plants fully rely of other plants for their supply of all nutrients, as they lack chlorophyll and thus are unable to photosynthesize. Due to their lack of chlorophyll, these plants can have any color but green. They may either attach to the branches of their host, or to their roots. Even in the latter case, the parasitic relationship is immediately visible in the field, because of the non-green color of the plant.



on branches of the host


Cuscuta epithymum
Huizen, the Netherlands; 18 May 2007.






on roots of the host


Orobanche purpurea
Amsterdam, the Netherlands; 14 June 2015.


Orobanche spec.
Çardak (Denizli), Turkey; 11 & 12 June 2012.


Orobanche spec.
Yassica (Bitlis), Turkey; 9 June 2010.