Una planta parásita es la que obtiene alguna o todas las sustancias nutritivas que necesita para su desarrollo desde otra planta. Se conocen con estas características a unas 4.100 especies en aproximadamente 19 familias de angiospermas. Las plantas parásitas tienen una raíz modificada, llamada haustorio, que penetra a la planta anfitrión y la conecta con su xilema, floema, o con ambos.

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A parasitic plant is a plant that derives some or all of its nutritional requirements from another living plant. All parasitic plants have modified roots, named haustoria (singular: haustorium), which penetrate the host plants, connecting them to the conductive system – either the xylem, the phloem, or both. This provides them with the ability to extract water and nutrients from the host.The organisms which support the parasite are called Hosts. Some parasitic plants are able to locate their host plants by detecting chemicals in the air or soil given off by host shoots or roots, respectively. About 4,100 species of parasitic plant in approximately 19 families of flowering plants are known.

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