Natural History Wanderings

ScienceDaily reported

The study reveals how Balanophora plants function despite abandoning photosynthesis and, in some species, sexual reproduction. Their plastid genomes shrank dramatically in a shared ancestor, yet the plastids remain vital. Asexual reproduction appears to have evolved repeatedly, helping the plants survive in isolated, humid forest habitats. The research highlights surprising resilience in these bizarre parasitic species.

Read on www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/12/251214100921.htm