Dactylanthus
taylorii
is
the
only
fully
parasitic
flowering
plant
endemic
to
New
Zealand.
A
member
of
the
mainly
tropical
family
Balanophoraceae,
it
lives
mainly
underground
attached
to
the
roots
of
a
number
of
native
tree
and
shrub
species,
where
it
forms
a
characteristic
distortion
on
the
host
root
in
the
area
of
attachment
(the
so-called
woodrose).
In
autumn,
each
plant
produces
inflorescences
filled
with
nectar
which
emerge
just
above
the
forest
floor.
D.
taylorii
is
dioecious,
producing
male
and
female
inflorescences
on
different
individuals.
Dactylanthus
taylorii
is
the
only
fully
parasitic
flowering
plant
endemic
to
New
Zealand.
A
member
of
the
mainly
tropical
family
Balanophoraceae,
it
lives
mainly
underground
attached
to
the
roots
of
a
number
of
native
tree
and
shrub
species,
where
it
forms
a
characteristic
distortion
on
the
host
root
in
the
area
of
attachment
(the
so-called
woodrose).
In
autumn,
each
plant
produces
inflorescences
filled
with
nectar
which
emerge
just
above
the
forest
floor.
D.
taylorii
is
dioecious,
producing
male
and
female
inflorescences
on
different
individuals.