Language: English
Parasitic plants are a specialized functional group of plants that obtains all or part of their nutrition from another plant without benefiting the host plant and sometimes causing extreme damage to it. This compilation is based on field surveys by the authors in different parts of the Indian state of Odisha and describes 18 species. Although some of the genera such as Orobanche and Cuscuta have a negative impact towards cultivated crops, they are useful in terms of medicinal, edible and commercial purposes and almost all species in this group have some ecological, economical, medicinal, or environmental importance. The authors have used both primary and secondary sources of data, including collected plant specimens, photographs, and other information about parasitic plants to provide concise information on this group of plants.