Checklist of Parasitic Plants in Marilog District, Southern Philippines

Abstract

Parasitic plants are interesting flowering plants that are present around the world, except in the coldest regions. These species are categorized either as hemiparasites or holoparasites depending on their mode of nutrition to their hosts. Botanical fieldworks through repeated transect walks and opportunistic samplings were carried out in the five forest patches of the three Barangays in Marilog District, Davao City, Philippines on February 2018 to September 2019. Data revealed that there were six species of parasitic plants in the area belonging to five genera in four families. These species include Balanophora papuana Schltr. (Balanophoraceae), Amyema curranii (Merr.) Danser, Amyema seriata (Merr.) Barlow and Decaisnina ovatifolia (Merr.) Barlow (Loranthaceae), Mitrastemon yamamotoi Makino (Mitrastemonaceae), and Christisonia schortechinii Prain (Orobanchaceae). Amyema seriata was the most frequently encountered species, whereas A. curranii and M. yamamotoi (collected only in Site 2 – Mount Malambo) and C. scortechinii (collected only in Site 5 – Sitio Matigsalug) were less frequently recorded. Host plants of these species are provided in this paper and the habitat and ecology for each species are discussed. It is imperative that Mount Malambo, the only place where M. yamamotoi was documented, should be protected and conserved since this species is rare in the wild. The rapid habitat destruction and conversion of forest lands into agricultural and residential properties in  areas near  these mountains may lead to depletion of these species. Thus, conservation management strategies of these parasitic plants should be relayed to different policy makers and local people in the area.