寄生花属 ji sheng hua shu

Richthofenia Hosseus.

Herbs, parasitic on roots, dioecious. Vegetative parts reduced to myceliumlike tissue within host. Flowering shoot short, erect, unbranched. Inflorescence bracts spirally arranged, overlapped at base of flower. Flowers unisexual, brightly colored, odor putrid. Perianth lobes overlapping; orifice with membranous corona. Male flowers: perianth tube basally solid; stamens 20, connectives completely united to form a stalked cup; anthers inserted on outside at base of cup, surrounding column base; gynostemium rudimentary. Female flowers: perianth tube base adnate to ovary; staminode-body cupular, inconspicuously radiately 6-ribbed; anthers sterile; ovary inferior; placentas 10-12, irregular; integument 1; gynostegium robust. Fruit globose, with persistent perianth.

Two species: Cambodia, China, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam; one species in China.

Sapria is a close relative of Rafflesia and is very poorly represented in herbaria.

Lower Taxon

• Sapria himalayana Griffith