<P> A parasitic plant is a plant that derives some or all of its nutritional requirement from another living plant . They make up about 1% of angiosperms and are in almost every biome in the world . All parasitic plants have modified roots, named haustoria (singular: haustorium), which penetrates 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 . Parasitic plants are classified depending on where the parasitic plant latches onto the host and the amount of nutrients it requires . 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 4,500 species of parasitic plant in approximately 20 families of flowering plants are known . </P> <P> Parasitic plants are characterized as follows: </P>

Roots that enable a plant to grow on another plant are called