This parasitic plant convinces hosts to grow into its own flesh–it’s also an extreme example of genome shrinkage
Balanophora shed one third of its genes as it evolved into a streamlined parasitic plant — an extreme degree of genome shrinkage even among parasites. Along the way this subtropical plant developed the ability to induce the host plant to grow into the parasite’s own flesh — forming chimeric organs that mix host and parasite tissues.
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