How to Grow and Care for Balanophora

Balanophora laxiflora (*Balanophora* *laxiflora*) finds its way onto host plants and sucks the life out of them by tapping into their host's vascular system. It emits an odor that attracts pollinators such as bees and butterflies. It is found growing in subtropical regions around the world, including on many Pacific Islands. The root-like tubers are converted into unique fuel for burning torches.

Like other members of its genus, B. fungosa is holoparasitic and contains no chlorophyll. The aerial parts of the plant consist of a hard, irregularly shaped tuber from which the flower-bearing structures extend. The leaves are scale-like, pale cream in colour, 8–30 millimetres (0.3–1 in) long, 7–20 millimetres (0.3–0.8 in) wide and more or less stem clasping. The plant is monoecious, bearing both pistillate (female) and staminate (male) flowers. Thousands of minute female flowers cover a globe-shaped structure 15–20 millimetres (0.6–0.8 in) in diameter. The styles are less than 1 millimetre (0.04 in) long. About 20 male flowers are arranged around the base of the globe, each about 3–5 millimetres (0.1–0.2 in) in diameter with a pedicel about 5–6 millimetres (0.20–0.24 in) long and are covered with powdery white pollen.

Balanophora harlandii is a rare, parasitic plant with a strikingly unusual appearance. It lacks chlorophyll, resulting in a lack of green pigmentation and an inability to photosynthesize. This characteristic forces balanophora harlandii to draw nutrients directly from the roots of its host plants. Its fleshy, tuber-like structures and branching inflorescences, often reddish or yellow in color, surface above the ground, signaling a covert existence beneath.

Balanophora tobiracola is a parasitic plant with a distinctive globular inflorescence that mimics its host's texture. Its flowers are often red, attracting pollinators while lacking chlorophyll, relying entirely on its host for nutrients. Preferring shady forest habitats, balanophora tobiracola integrates seamlessly into the undergrowth, often going unnoticed due to its small size and mimicry.