News Life

A reeking, parasitic plant lost its body and much of its genetic blueprint

The genome of Sapria himalayana is rife with gene loss and theft

Sapria himalayana flower

Sapria himalayana, a native to Southeast Asia, is an endoparasite, living inside its vine host for years before emerging as a speckled flower that can measure 20 centimeters across.

C. Davis/Harvard University

By Jake Buehler

- More than 2 years ago

For most of their lives, plants in the Sapria genus are barely anything — thin ribbons of parasitic cells winding inside vines in Southeast Asian rainforests.