International Parasitic Plant Society

Trees are hosts to a number of parasitic plant species. Two broad categories can be distinguished, based on where they attack the host: root and stem parasites. The main root parasite affecting trees and tree crops in Africa is Thonningia sanguinea. It is widely distributed across the region and is known to parasitize on coffee, [...]

In this study we studied 22 maize genotypes, with a diversity of origins, across field locations in Kenya (one season) and Malawi (two seasons), and in the greenhouse in Wageningen. We identified new maize genotypes with effective broad-spectrum resistance against the parasitic weed Striga, a prevalent biological constraint to crop production on the African continent. [...]

Haustorium reaches its 90th issue! Many thanks to Chris Parker for his dedication to the newsletter, and to Lytton Musselman and all contributors. This issue takes a closer look at the sunflower broomrape (Orobanche cumana) outbreak near Yakima, USA. Following its discovery in 2025, authorities introduced strict quarantine measures and carried out intensive treatment [...]

Mistletoes depend on animals to pollinate their flowers and disperse their seeds, which makes them a great system to ask how pollinators shape floral evolution. We compared the flowers of four mistletoes from southern South America (Tristerix aphyllus, T. corymbosus, T. verticillatus, and Desmaria mutabilis), whose lineages split at three different moments, from the Eocene [...]

Mistletoe seeds need to be delivered to suitable branches to germinate, so seed dispersers are essential for these parasitic plants. In central Chile, the Chilean mockingbird (Mimus thenca) has long been considered the main disperser of Tristerix corymbosus. But in Curauma, an urban area near Valparaíso where invasive Acacia trees now dominate, we found something [...]