Distribution, host plants and floral biology of the root holoparasite Langsdorffia hypogaea in the Brazilian savanna

- Langsdorffia hypogaea is a root holoparasite in Brazilian savanna.
- This species is dioecious and showed an aggregated distribution.
- Sex ratio and number of inflorescences were similar between populations.
- L. hypogaea was considered generalist, with multiple hosts.
- For the first time a bird species was recorded visiting inflorescences of L. hypogaea.

The biology and ecology of many species of parasitic plants are poorly known, especially in the Neotropics. But conservation of those iconic plants is important since they are key stone species to understand evolution and diversification in those ecosystems. We investigated the distribution, host plants and floral biology of a root holoparasite Langsdorffia hypogaea Mart. (Balanophoraceae) in the Brazilian Savanna of southern Brazil. Langsdorffia hypogaea showed an aggregated distribution in patches, and similar sex ratio and abundance between populations. The nectar was secreted by extra-floral structures at the basal bracts of females and among freshly open flowers on male inflorescences. Nectar was relatively dilute (11-18%), and concentration and volume did not differ between male and female flowers. We found five plant species of different families as hosts, confirming that L. hypogaea is a generalist and suggesting interactions with the local plant community based on abundance and/or host quality. Besides a non-quantified number of insect species, we recorded for the first time a bird species visiting and possibly pollinating the inflorescences. Despite the limited observations, the information provided here opens interesting lines of investigation on the reproductive biology of this species.