haustorium

haus·to·ri·um  (hô-stôr-m, -str-)

n. pl. haus·to·ri·a (hô-stôr-, -str-)

A specialized absorbing structure of a parasitic plant, such as the rootlike outgrowth of the dodder, that obtains food from a host plant.

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[New Latin haustrium, from Latin haustus, a drawing in, absorption, from past participle of haurre, to draw up.]

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haus·tori·al adj.

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haustorium  (hô-stôr-m)

Plural haustoria

A specialized absorbing structure of a parasitic plant, such as the rootlike outgrowth of the dodder, that obtains food from a host plant. In parasitic fungi, haustoria are specialized hyphae that penetrate the cells of other organisms and absorb nutrients directly from them.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

haustorium - a root-like attachment in parasitic plants that penetrates and obtains food from the host plant process, enation - a natural projection or outgrowth from a plant body or organ