This beautifully illustrated encyclopedia of parasitic plants gives a fantastic overview of the morphological variety of parasitic plants, and describes and illustrates the adaptations that enable plants to be para-sitic. The illustrations are magnificent and can only make you admire how nature has created such wonderful creatures almost as if it wants to mask their mal-intentions. In addition to the wonderful illustrations, the book reviews important aspects of plant parasitism such as the physiological mechanisms, the ecology and the putative evolution of parasitism in plants. Hence, the book is a rich source of facts and need-to-knows about parasitic plants and therefore will be a valuable handbook for scientists and a fine introduction to para-sitism in plants for non-scientists.

Facts about the book:

Hardcover with XIV + 438 pages and about 50% illu-strations based on 1005 files. About 90% are in colour.
21 distribution maps besides other graphics.
9 explanatory boxes.
Glossary.
Selected literature.
List of photographers (128 persons have contributed).
Index with about 5000 page references.

Corrigenda.----Book reviews ---Award nomination

1st print published by Brill, The Netherlands with financial support from Aage V. Jensens Funds and the Danish Minestry of Science, Technology, and Innovation. 2nd print with corrections published without funding. List price: EUR 129 / US $ 177.

How to order: see this link to Brill.



Viscum album (European mistletoe), male flowers
with open pollen sacs. - Photo: H S Heide-Jørgensen

Agelanthus flammeus (Loranthaceae) with
directional explosive flowers pollinated by sunbirds. - Photo: Darrel C. H. Plowes.

The book is written in mostly non-technical English but where technical terms are used they are explained in the text, in the Glossary, or in boxes. Hence, the book can be read without special botanical back-ground knowledge. It has been necessary to use Latin plant names since popular names with few exceptions have only local value.

The list of Contents follows below. Click on the photographs/graphics to see enlarge-ments and accompanying text.

Preface by Job Kuijt ..................................................................................................................
Author's preface ........................................................................................................................
Chapter 1. Introduction ..........................................................................................................
What is a parasitic plant? ...........................................................................................................
Parasite 'look alikes'...................................................................................................................
---Box 1. Myco-heterotrophic plants ————————.........................................................
Types of parasites and some definitions ......................................................................................
---Box 2. Different structures called a haustorium .......................................................................
The haustorium ————————————————..........................................................
---Box 3. Vascular tissue in higher plants ....................................................................................
A parasitic gymnosperm .............................................................................................................
How many plants are parasitic? ..................................................................................................
History of research in parasites ...................................................................................................
Chapter 2. Hemiparasitic Santalales .....................................................................................
Olacaceae .................................................................................................................................
Schoepfiaceae ...........................................................................................................................
---Box 4. Life cycle and embryology of flowering plants .............................................................
Opiliaceae .................................................................................................................................
Loranthaceae .............................................................................................................................
---Vegetative morphology ————————————..........................................................
---Haustorium anatomy ..............................................................................................................
---Floral structure and pollination ...............................................................................................
---Bird pollination ......................................................................................................................
---Embryology ..........................................................................................................................
---Dispersal biology ...................................................................................................................
---The root parasites .................................................................................................................
---Loranthaceae in the New World ............................................................................................
---Loranthaceae in Africa ————————————..........................................................
---Loranthaceae in Eurasia .........................................................................................................
---Loranthaceae in Australia ......................................................................................................
---Loranthaceae in selected isolated islands ................................................................................
------Box 5. Endemism .............................................................................................................
Misodendraceae ........................................................................................................................
Eremolepidaceae .......................................................................................................................
Santalaceae —————————————————...........................................................
---Vegetative morphology ..........................................................................................................
---Floral biology ........................................................................................................................
---Herbaceous genera ...............................................................................................................
---Woody genera ......................................................................................................................
Viscaceae ..................................................................................................................................
---Dendrophthora ......................................................................................................................
---Phoradendron .......................................................................................................................
---Korthalsella ...........................................................................................................................
---Notothixos ............................................................................................................................
---Viscum .................................................................................................................................
---Arceuthobium ———————————————...........................................................
Summary ...................................................................................................................................
Chapter 3. Hemiparasitic families other than Santalales .....................................................
Krameriaceae ............................................................................................................................
Cassytha (Lauraceae) ................................................................................................................
Cuscuta (Convolvulaceae) ———————————————————.............................
Hemiparasitic Orobanchaceae ....................................................................................................
---Habit and haustoria ...............................................................................................................
---Flower biology ......................................................................................................................
---Widely distributed genera ......................................................................................................
---Northern temperate zone .......................................................................................................
---Old World warm climates ......................................................................................................
Chapter 4. Holoparasitic families ..........................................................................................
Holoparasitic Orobanchaceae ....................................................................................................
---Genera transferred from Scrophulariaceae .............................................................................
---Orobanchaceae (sensu stricto) ————————————————————..............
Cynomoriaceae ...............…………..........................................................................................
Lennoaceae ...............................................................................................................................
Mitrastemonaceae .....................................................................................................................
Apodanthaceae ...............…......................................................................................................
Cytinaceae ...............………...…………………………………………………………..........
Rafflesiaceae .............................................................................................................................
---Rafflesia —————...................................................................……………..……….......
---Sapria ..............….................................................................................................................
---Rhizanthes .............................................................................................................................
Hydnoraceae .............................................................................................................................
---Hydnora ...............................................................................................................................
---Prosopanche .........................................................................................................................
Balanophoraceae .......................................................................................................................
---Vegetative morphology and anatomy .....................................................................................
---Inflorescences and flowers .....................................................................................................
---The most widely distributed genera ........................................................................................
---American genera —————————————————…..................……….............
---African genera ......................................................................................................................
---Southeast Asian-Pacific genera ..............................................................................................
Chapter 5. Establishment of the parasite ..............................................................................
Seed dispersal strategies ............................................................................................................
Germination and host recognition ................................................................................................
Haustorial development ..............................................................................................................
---Haustorial initiation ................................................................................................................
---Development of the holdfast ..................................................................................................
------Box. 6. The plant cuticle ...................................................................................................
---Development of the endophyte ..............................................................................................
---Differentiation of the xylem bridge ————————..........................................................
The mature haustorium ...............................................................................................................
---Interrupted zone ....................................................................................................................
---Graniferous tracheary elements ..............................................................................................
---The interface ———————————————————.............................................
---Phoradendron case story .......................................................................................................
Physiology .................................................................................................................................
---Water relations (Transpiration) ..............................................................................................
------Box 7. Absorption and transport of nutrient ions ................................................................
---Nutrient absorption and translocation .....................................................................................
---Translocation from parasite to host ........................................................................................
------Box 8. Photosynthesis .......................................................................................................
---Photosynthesis ......................................................................................................................
---Further physiological topics ...................................................................................................
Chapter 6. Host ranges and various ecological aspects of parasitism .................................
Facultative and obligate parasites ...............................................................................................
Host specificity ..........................................................................................................................
---Determining the host range .....................................................................................................
---Species delimitation and host range ........................................................................................
---Host specificity in various taxa —————————...........................................................
Epi- and self parasitism ..............................................................................................................
Mimicry .....................................................................................................................................
Host reactions and defence ........................................................................................................
Biochemical defence ..................................................................................................................
Hypertrophy and hormonal disorder ...........................................................................................
Mechanical defence ...................................................................................................................
Relations to non-host organisms .................................................................................................
Flowers and fruits as food sources .............................................................................................
Herbivory —————————————————————..............................................
Diseases ....................................................................................................................................
Vegetation ecology ....................................................................................................................
---Arid vegetation - xerophytism ................................................................................................
------Box 7. Xerophytism ..........................................................................................................
---Coastal vegetation - salt tolerance ..........................................................................................
---Temperate and tropical forests ...............................................................................................
---Arctic vegetation ——————————————————...........................................
---Cultivated and urban land ......................................................................................................
Ecosystems - fires ......................................................................................................................
Chapter 7. Harmful parasites and control methods ..............................................................
Parasitic plants in agriculture .......................................................................................................
---Cuscuta and Cassytha on crops .............................................................................................
---Striga on crops ———————————————..........................................................
---Orobanche and Phelipanche on crops ....................................................................................
---Other root parasites on crops ................................................................................................
---Control methods ...................................................................................................................
Parasites in forestry and orchards ...............................................................................................
---Arceuthobium .......................................................................................................................
---Other stem parasites ..............................................................................................................
---Control methods ...................................................................................................................
Chapter 8. Ecology and evolution ..........................................................................................
Evolution of parasitism in dicots ..................................................................................................
---Evolution of different modes of parasitism ..............................................................................
---Convergent evolution .............................................................................................................
---Co-evolution and bird pollination —————————........................................................
Phylogeny ..................................................................................................................................
---Transfer of genetic information ...............................................................................................
---The phylogenetic tree ............................................................................................................
Nature conservation ———————————————.......................................................
Glossary ..................................................................................................................................
Selected literature ..................................................................................................................
List of photographers .............................................................................................................
Index ........................................................................................................................................

X
XI
1
1
2
4
6
8
8
9
16
20
23
25
25
29
30
32
33
35
37
42
44
49
50
54
58
66
74
78
81
82
90
94
95
97
99
100
102
113
117
117
123
127
127
136
143
145
145
148
153
161
162
167
169
174
183
189
189
191
198
207
210
213
215
220
223
227
231
232
235
237
239
240
240
243
245
248
255
259
263
263
267
269
270
271
273
276
284
285
287
287
289
291
295
295
296
297
300
301
302
305
307
307
307
308
312
315
326
329
331
331
333
335
335
336
336
341
343
345
346
348
350
351
352
353
357
358
360
361
365
367
369
376
376
379
382
385
386
386
398
401
403
404
405
406
414
417
421
425