Rare parasitic flowering plant rediscovered in SW China’s Yunnan after nearly 30 years

Sapria himalayana, a rare holoparasitic flowering plant, has been rediscovered in tropical rainforests in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China’s Yunnan Province in recent years.

Photo shows a blooming Sapria himalayana, a rare holoparasitic flowering plant, in a tropical rainforest in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (People’s Daily Online/courtesy of XSBNRTV)

As one of the typical plants found in tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia, the species had been considered extinct in China for nearly 30 years.

The plants have no stems or leaves, and spend most of their lives unseen, parasitizing the roots of their host plants until the flowering season.

Photo shows a blooming Sapria himalayana, a rare holoparasitic flowering plant, in a tropical rainforest in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. (People’s Daily Online/courtesy of XSBNRTV)