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Sapria himalayana
Himalayan Sapria is a rare, fully parasitic plant related to Rafflesia that lives inside the roots and stems of host trees and vines, showing itself only as large rose-pink, bell-shaped flowers at ground level. It cannot be grown as a garden or houseplant because it depends entirely on its specific host.
Sapria himalayana, commonly known as the hermit's spittoon, is a rare holoparasitic flowering plant related to Rafflesia found in the Eastern Himalayas. Sapria himalayana represents the extreme manifestation of the parasitic mode, being completely dependent on its host plant for water, nutrients and products of photosynthesis which it sucks through a specialised root system called haustoria. These haustoria are attached to both the xylem and the phloem of the host plant.
Sapria himalayana is native to Assam, East Himalaya, Tibet, South Central China, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. It has been recorded in Namdapha National Park in Northeast India. In Thailand, it is found in Doi Suthep National Park, Doi Inthanon, Doi Phu Kha National Park, Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary, Kaeng Krachan National Park in the Tenasserim Hills. It is also found in the Dawna and Karen Hills of Myanmar and in Vietnam. Its natural habitat are evergreen forests at altitudes between 800 and 1,450 metres.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Sapria himalayana by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
