The World Flora Online

Herbes vivaces, polygames, monoïques ou dioïques, holoparasites sur racines, charnues, dépourvues de chlorophylle et de racines, de couleur jaunâtre à marron ou rouge foncé, naissant sur des tubercules souterrains. Feuilles absentes ou réduites à des écailles. Inflorescences multiflores, terminales, ramifiées ou non, sessiles ou pédonculées; bractées absentes ou très réduites. Fleurs réduites, hermaphrodites ou unisexuées. Fleurs mâles à 3-9 tépales; étamines 2-12, opposées aux tépales, libres ou soudées en un synandre, anthères à 1-plusieurs loges, à déhiscence longitudinale ou poricide. Fleurs femelles nues ou à périanthe réduit, 3-6-lobé; ovaire infère, 1-4-mère, peu différencié; style 1 ou absent. Fruits: akènes ou syncarpes charnus. Graines albuminées, sans testa; embryon très petit.

Herbes'vivaces, monoïques ou dioïques, parasites sur racines d'arbres ou d'arbustes, à partie souterraine tubéreuse ou rhizomatoïde, à partie aérienne réduite aux inflorescences, dépourvues de chlorophylle et de coloration jaunâtre à rougeâtre.'Feuilles'réduites à des écailles.'Inflorescences'naissant à l'intérieur des rhizomatoïdes, ♂, ♀ ou 2-sexuées, sessiles ou pédonculées, à fleurs toujours ♂ ♀, mais parfois avec rudiments de l'autre sexe.'Fleurs'♂ relativement grandes, nues, ou à périgone formé de 2-8 tépales, égaux ou inégaux, libres ou ± soudés et ± adnés à la colonne staminale, généralement à préfloraison valvaire; étamines 2-8 opposées aux tépales, libres ou en synandries; anthères à 1 ou plusieurs loges, à déhiscence longitudinale ou poricide.'Fleurs'♀ très petites et très nombreuses, nues, ou à périgone épigyne petit, tronqué ou tubulaire; gynécée à 1-3 carpelles; ovaire cylindrique à globuleux, souvent 1-loculaire, à 1-2 ovules sans tégument; style long, filiforme et à partie supérieure papilleuse et stigmatique, ou stigmate sessile.'Akènes coriaces-crustacés ou fruits drupacés.\n\t\t\tDix-sept genres groupant 107 espèces, dans les régions tropicales et subtropicales.

Stamens 1–2 in the achlamydeous flowers, in those with a perianth often equal in number to, and opposite the lobes; filaments free or connate; anthers 2–4-celled or with many cells, free or connate, opening by pores or slits Flowers unisexual, very rarely hermaphrodite, densely crowded into unisexual or androgynous inflorescences; male flowers without or with a valvate 3–8-lobed perianth Fleshy herbs parasitic on roots, annual or perennial, destitute of chlorophyll and stomata Ovary 1–3-celled, adnate to the perianth when present; styles 1–2, terminal or rarely the stigma sessile and discoid; ovule solitary in each cell, mostly pendulous, nude or with a single integument Fruit small, nut-like, 1-celled, 1-seeded Seeds with abundant endosperm and very small embryo Flowers unisexual, very rarely hermaphrodite, densely crowded into unisexual or androgynous inflorescences; male flowers without or with a valvate 3–8-lobed perianth Fleshy herbs parasitic on roots, annual or perennial, destitute of chlorophyll and stomata Ovary 1–3-celled, adnate to the perianth when present; styles 1–2, terminal or rarely the stigma sessile and discoid; ovule solitary in each cell, mostly pendulous, nude or with a single integument Fruit small, nut-like, 1-celled, 1-seeded Seeds with abundant endosperm and very small embryo

Flowers borne in involucrate heads or in dense fleshy inflorescences Male flowers: perianth segments (tepals) 3–9; stamens 2–12, free or united into a synandrium Female flowers: perianth absent or much reduced, 3–several-lobed and adnate to ovary Herbaceous parasites on roots of woody plants, without chlorophyll, usually brightly coloured, fleshy, arising from underground tubers attached to host plant, monoecious, dioecious or polygamous Tubers cylindrical or subspherical, irregularly lobed or emitting branched cylindrical rhizomes Rhizomes with or without scaly leaves Inflorescences simple or branched, with or without bracts Fruit indehiscent, aggregated into syncarpia or separate Ovary inferior, 1–3-locular, ovules 1–3 Style 1, long, filiform, or absent Male flowers: perianth segments (tepals) 3–9; stamens 2–12, free or united into a synandrium Female flowers: perianth absent or much reduced, 3–several-lobed and adnate to ovary Herbaceous parasites on roots of woody plants, without chlorophyll, usually brightly coloured, fleshy, arising from underground tubers attached to host plant, monoecious, dioecious or polygamous Tubers cylindrical or subspherical, irregularly lobed or emitting branched cylindrical rhizomes Rhizomes with or without scaly leaves Inflorescences simple or branched, with or without bracts Fruit indehiscent, aggregated into syncarpia or separate Ovary inferior, 1–3-locular, ovules 1–3 Style 1, long, filiform, or absent

Herbaceous, fleshy root-parasites, without chlorophyll and roots, yellowish white to yellow, orange to red or brown to black Tuber cylindrical or subspherical, branched or unbranched, irregularly corrugated or variously polygonately furrowed or ± warty, subterranean, developing by germination of a fruit on a suitable host root, producing one or more inflorescence-bearing stems Leaves scaly, spirally arranged or distichous, decussate or verticillate, sometimes much reduced Stems with or without leaves, unbranched Male flowers without a perianth, or perianth of 3–7 segments Inflorescence branched or appearing spadix-like, the branches much suppressed, rarely composed of minute cymes (Cynomorium L.); branches of first order bracteate, well-developed to totally suppressed, sometimes with the sterile apical part peltately widened; bracts scaly, ± transformed and reduced, triangular or peltate or reduced to a clavate structure, caducous or persistent, Flowers unisexual, rarely bisexual Female flowers without a perianth or with a superior perianth inconspicuously 2-lobed or rarely 3–6-lobed Stamens 1–7 or united into a synandrium, opposite the perianth-segments; anthers dehiscing longitudinally or irregularly Ovary 1-locular or without a cavity and any definite placenta; styles 1–2(–3), alternate with perianth-lobes; stigma inconspicuous or ± capitellate; generally one few-celled embryo developing in the central tissue of the ovary, surrounded by a few-celled endosperm and a layer of stone cells at maturity Fruit a small 1-seeded achene Tuber cylindrical or subspherical, branched or unbranched, irregularly corrugated or variously polygonately furrowed or ± warty, subterranean, developing by germination of a fruit on a suitable host root, producing one or more inflorescence-bearing stems Leaves scaly, spirally arranged or distichous, decussate or verticillate, sometimes much reduced Stems with or without leaves, unbranched Male flowers without a perianth, or perianth of 3–7 segments Inflorescence branched or appearing spadix-like, the branches much suppressed, rarely composed of minute cymes (Cynomorium L.); branches of first order bracteate, well-developed to totally suppressed, sometimes with the sterile apical part peltately widened; bracts scaly, ± transformed and reduced, triangular or peltate or reduced to a clavate structure, caducous or persistent, Flowers unisexual, rarely bisexual Female flowers without a perianth or with a superior perianth inconspicuously 2-lobed or rarely 3–6-lobed Stamens 1–7 or united into a synandrium, opposite the perianth-segments; anthers dehiscing longitudinally or irregularly Ovary 1-locular or without a cavity and any definite placenta; styles 1–2(–3), alternate with perianth-lobes; stigma inconspicuous or ± capitellate; generally one few-celled embryo developing in the central tissue of the ovary, surrounded by a few-celled endosperm and a layer of stone cells at maturity Fruit a small 1-seeded achene

Herbs, monoecious or dioecious, fleshy, parasitic on roots or rhizomes of various hosts. Rhizome usually branched, usually with scales or warts and/or lenticels. Flowering shoots endogenously arising from rhizome; scapes with or without leaves, unbranched. Leaves scaly, opposite or alternate and distichous or spiraled, sometimes whorled, rarely contorted or clustered, without stomata. Inflorescences unisexual or androgynous, terminal, spadix or spadixlike structure covered with minute branches; branches frequently subtended by variously modified bract. Flowers unisexual, pedicellate or sessile. Male flowers: larger than female flowers, 3(or 4 or more)-merous. Perianth apically lobed or dentate, sometimes absent; lobes valvate. Stamens 1 or 2 when perianth absent or usually as numerous as and opposite to perianth lobes when perianth present; filaments free or connate into a synandrium; anthers free or connate, 2-loculed or more, dehiscent by slits. Female flowers: congested on branches or basally on spadicles and/or shoot axis. Perianth absent or reduced and 2- to irregularly lobed, adnate to ovary. Ovary inferior. styles 1 or 2; stigmas slightly capitellate. Fruit a 1-seeded achene.