noun
- A specialized root-like structure that certain parasitic plants use to penetrate and absorb nutrients from a host plant.
Usage: biology; botany; plural: haustoria
Examples
- The mistletoe plant develops a haustorium that penetrates the branch of its host tree.
- Parasitic flowering plants like dodder use haustoria to extract water and minerals from their hosts.
- The haustorium allows the parasite to establish a direct connection with the host's vascular tissue.
- Scientists study the haustorium to understand how parasitic plants obtain nutrients.
- Each haustorium functions similarly to a root, but it serves a parasitic rather than an independent function.