Balanophora J.R.Forst. & G.Forst.

Stems emitted from basal tubers. Total length of parasite incl. of tuber 2-30 cm. Tubers mostly in a mass 1-25 cm ø, branching from the base, containing wax (balanophorine) in varying amounts. Single tubers 1-6 cm long and 1-6 cm wide, ovoid, ellipsoid, or obovoid, sometimes almost cylindrical or spherical. In a few species the tubers are repeatedly branched with elongated, cylindrical branches, thus forming an entangled mass 10-30 cm ø. Surface of tubers fine-granular to coarsely tessellate, with or without stellate warts. Stem appearing from a greater or smaller pit at the apical part of each single tuber. Leaves 2-40, broad-based, whorled, opposite, distichous or spirally arranged. Inflorescence spadix-like, terminating the stem. Flowers unisexual, pedicellate or not. ♂ Inflorescences racemose or spicate, 1-18 cm long and ½-7 cm wide in anthesis. ♀ Inflorescences spicate, ovoid, ellipsoid, obovoid, or spherical, ½-7 by ½-8½ cm, number of flowers estimated in one inflorescence 105-107 according to size. ♂ Flowers mostly subtended by short, truncate bracts. In ♀ inflorescences the bracts are transformed to more or less club-shaped spadicles ½-2½ mm long, surrounded by ♀ flowers; in some species ♀ flowers are also situated on the lower, narrow part of each spadicle. Species monoecious as well as dioecious. Monoecious species have bisexual inflorescences with the ♂ flowers intermixed with the ♀ flowers or in a zone below and/or above the ♀ part. ♂ Flowers with a perianth of 3, 4-5 or 6, in exceptional cases up to 14, tepals, actinomorphic or bisymmetric to zygomorphic on account of lateral elongation. Tepals ovate to lanceolate, acute or almost square and truncate. Stamens forming a more or less elongated synandrium. Anthers 4-5 or numbers indeterminable, cells longitudinally dehiscing, sometimes transversally divided into smaller locelli. Anthers opposite to tepals when few in number. ♀ Flowers without a perianth. Ovary 0.2-0.7 mm long and 0.15-0.4 mm wide. Style ½-1½ mm long, apparently stigmatoid at and near apex, where pollen grains are often found attached. Fruit indehiscent, nut-like. Embryo few-celled, embedded in a small endosperm. Diaspore: fruit with or without parts of pedicel and style attached.

Parasitizing roots, rarely supraterraneous stems, of woody, rarely herbaceous, dicotyledonous species, in exceptional cases Bambusa and even Pinus.

The tuber, which consists of tissue from both the host root and the parasite, frequently contains a wax which can be extracted and used for candles (Du Puy 1993: 257). Balanophora is used in traditional medicine and is known as "She-Gu" in Chinese folk medicine (see Chee & Kah Hoo 2010, and references therein).