Glossary Details – Lecythidaceae

Glossary Details:

Title: Voyria rosea. Photo by S. A. Mori.

Description: Voyria rosea based on Mori et al. 24912 from the vicinity of Saül, French Guiana. This plant is an achlorophyllous, heterotrophic plant. It obtains its nutrition from decaying organic material in the soil, i.e., it does not photosynthesize. Previously a heterotrophic plant such as this was said to be a saprophyte but many saprophytes have now been shown to have a mycorrhizal relationship and, thus, are more appropriately called mycoheterotrophs.

Term:

Saprophyte

Definition:

A heterotrophic plant that is without chlorophyll, lives on decayed plant material, and usually depends on a symbiotic relationship with a fungus to obtain food.

Related Terms:

Mycoheterotroph (mycoheterotrophic)