Parasitism and haustorium anatomy of Krameria lappacea (Dombey) Burdet & B.B.Simpson (Krameriaceae), an endangered medicinal plant from the Andean deserts

Abstract

Krameria lappacea (Domb.) Burdet & B.B.Simpson is a shrub of the semi-desert in the Andes of Peru (Fig. 5.1 A–C), southern Ecuador, and northern Argentina, Chile and Bolivia, occurring at elevations from sea level to 3600 m a.s.l. (Simpson, 1989a; Simpson et al., 2004). In its native habitat K. lappacea is by far the largest root parasite, with individual shrubs reaching a diameter of 1.5 m and a height of up to 2 m. Inmost semi-desert areas of Peru it is also clearly the most common root parasite.