Biology

  1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Biology
photo of Regina Bailey

Regina's Biology Blog

By Regina Bailey, About.com Guide to Biology since 1997

White Ghost and Vampire Plants

Friday October 31, 2008
When I speak of white ghosts and vampires I don't mean evil spirits. I am referring to some unusual plants that have some interesting characteristics. These plants are living proof that plants are not just boring old green things that grow in the ground.

Vampire plants, also called dodders, attach to their host and suck off food and water. They are considered harmful parasites because they often spread plant diseases. White ghosts or indian pipes are tubular shaped plants with white flowers. The white color of the plant gives it a ghostly appearance.

Another unusual plant, the strangler fig, actually chokes the life out of its host. It grows from the top to the bottom of a tree with the help of animals. It completely surrounds the tree so that it will not be able to get enough water or food.

Learn more about other unusual plants:

Comments

No comments yet. Leave a Comment

Leave a Comment

Line and paragraph breaks are automatic. Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title="">, <b>, <i>, <strike>

Discuss

Community Forum

Explore Biology

About.com Special Features

Biology

  1. Home
  2. Education
  3. Biology

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.