Plant gets by with help from 'friends'

Tag : Plant Pigment


Yatskievych is familiar with parasitic plants and believed theunknown specimen was closest in floral features to others in thefamily Orobanchaceae, which are parasitic on the roots of hostplants. Although some of the genera are green, others havecompletely lost their ability to photosynthesize and appear asfungus-like, not green plants with succulent stems and scale-likeleaves.

"The Orobanchaceae that I have worked with are almostunworldly in appearance," said Yatskievych. "I've alwaysbeen interested in plants that don't fit the preconceived notion ofwhat plants should be."

In 2006, Yatskievych traveled to Sierra Madre del Sur to return tothe general area of the 1985 collection. There, he rediscovered theplant, becoming the first botanist to see the plants in more than20 years.

"The region where the plant grows is changing rapidly, as theabundant forests gradually are being logged for timber and theslopes burned to becomes pastures and crops fields," saidYatskievych. "In another decade or two, we might never havesucceeded in relocating this undescribed genus in the field."

Results of Yatskievych's research on the undescribed genus of theOrobanchaceae family are slated for publication in a scientificjournal later this year. At that time, the plant will officially beidentified by a new name.

— KIM MCGUIRE