Balanophoraceae: Fungi or Plants?

When encountering one of these organisms on the forest floor, anyone who has never heard of the Balanophoraceae family will surely be left in doubt. Their bizarre appearance often reminds us of something from the bottom of the ocean rather than the forest floor.

The Balanophoraceae are holoparasitic plants, which means they do not perform photosynthesis. Instead, they use specialized structures to obtain nutrients from the roots of other plants such as trees and vines, relying solely on their hosts to survive.

Their flowers are tiny and formed in fleshy inflorescences that sprout close to the ground. These inflorescences are showy (white, yellow, red, pink, or purple) and are connected to an underground tuber that stores the nutrients stolen from the host plant.

In terms of diversity, the family is pantropical and includes about 50 species. 15 species occur in Brazil, of which eight were recognized by Eichler in Flora Brasiliensis (1869). This work presents incredible illustrations of all the species, as we will see below.

The quantity of nectar produced by the flowers is enormous, but it costs nothing for the parasitic plants, which suck the sap directly from the roots of their hosts. Such trophic interactions (feeding relationships) are essential for maintaining forest balance.

Other research has demonstrated the nutritional and medicinal potential of some Balanophoraceae, such as the “amañoco” (Ombrophytum subterraneum), a species used by the Aymara people of Bolivia. This only piques our curiosity, making these plants even more interesting.