Legumes vary strongly in their quality as hosts for parasitic plants: interactions between the root hemiparasite <i>Rhinanthus alectorolophus</i> and 30 legume species

Legumes are not universally good hosts for root hemiparasites. Instead their quality as hosts ranges from very beneficial to very poor. Moreover, clades within the legumes differ in their suitability as hosts for hemiparasites. Parasites grow best with fast-growing legumes that quickly produce large root systems with which many and large haustoria are formed.