Plant life without leaves, roots or stems: anatomy, development and three-dimensional structure of the endoparasite <i>Pilostyles blanchetii</i> (Apodanthaceae) in <i>Mimosa</i> hosts

Pilostyles blanchetii develops an extensive tissue network within the bark of its hosts, linking pistillate and staminate flowers, thus suggesting monoecy. Vascular tissue is extremely reduced and includes only vessel elements for the xylem and sieve tube elements for the phloem, which connect directly to the corresponding cells of the host.