PARASITIC PLANTS

Parasitic plants derive all their nutrients from the root systems of nearby host plants, and are quite in-capable of deriving nutrients from the soil themselves. Most, if not all parasitic plants, have very specific host requirements and will only grow in the presence of a particular host. the broomrapes are like this. Thus Thyme broomrape grows only on Thyme. Greater Broomrape is able to grow on either Gorse or Broom, both of the Pea Family. This is probably how Broomrapes got their name: from the host of Greater Broomrape: Broom.

Broomrapes are quite in-capable of synthesizing chlorophyll, and they have none. Chlorophyll in plants is responsible for how plants derive essential plant-building compounds like carbohydrates from carbon dioxide in the air and water from the ground with the help of sunlight. Without chlorophyll these reactions cannot happen. A plant without chlorophyll must hi-jack another plants' root system that has this ability and siphon off some of the synthesized products without killing the host (otherwise both will die).

 HEMI-PARASITIC PLANTS

Hemi-parasitic (or semi-parasitic) plants derive some of their nutrients from the roots of adjacent plants. They do this by hooking into the host plants root system. If there are no nearby plants, then they will get by without nutrient supplements; they just grow as well.

Not all hemi-parasites tap into the roots of hosts, some like Mistletoe or Dodder tap into the stems of hosts.

 SAPROPHYTIC PLANTS

Saprophytic plants are quite in-capable of synthesizing chlorophyll, and they have none. Chlorophyll in plants is responsible for how plants derive essential plant-building compounds like carbohydrates from carbon dioxide in the air and water from the ground with the help of sunlight. Without chlorophyll these photo-synthetic reactions cannot happen. A plant without chlorophyll must hi-jack another plants' root system that has this ability and siphon off some of the synthesized products without killing the host (otherwise both will die).

 CARNIVOROUS PLANTS

Carnivorous Plants 'eat' mainly small insects (so are therefore 'insectivorous') that happen to get entrapped either in the flower, or on the slippery leaves. They have no teeth to masticate them, but rather use a cocktail of enzymes with which to digest them, and the juices are subsequently absorbed within the plant to be used as components in synthesis.