Come explore with us!
These supreme grifters of the plant kingdom send up showy flowers (Langsdorffia hypogea male, left; female, right) but don’t bother with even a single green leaf. Instead, they just sneak around underground and steal all their food.
Jean Carlos Santos
To accompany “‘Vampire’ parasite challenges the definition of a plant”
1. In fiction, what are vampires? Give three reasons why you think people may find them interesting.
1. What is a parasite?
2. In what ways are Langsdorffia plants pretty and in what ways are they not?
3. How many species of these plants are there?
4. How do these plants feed?
5. Where do these plants grow?
6. Do these plants need to be pollinated? And if so, what animals would do it?
1. “They’re vampire plants,” Chris Thorogood says of Langsdorffia. Explain why you think this is a good description — or not. If you don’t think so, what would be a better metaphor? For comparison, you might want to consider these “true vampires.”
2. The world is full of parasites. Read up on one or two others. What may be some of the environmental pressures that encourage organisms to evolve such a feeding strategy?
Register to access:
An error occurred. Please try again.
Already Registered? Enter your e-mail address above.