Question

Santalum album/Sandal-wood Tree is?
a. Partial root parasite
b. Partial stem parasite
c. Total stem parasite
d. Total root parasite

Answer 1

Hint: The small tropical tree which is traditionally the source of sandalwood oil is called the Santalum album or Sandalwood tree. The price of sandalwood oil in India is very high. This tree causes exploitation due to its high value of species. The wild population of this species is vulnerable to extinction.

Complete answer:
The partial root parasite is the Santalum album which has the capability to photosynthesize its own food while it taps the roots for water and inorganic nutrients of other species. So partially it only depends on the host. For example – Dalbergia, Eucalyptus, and Albizzia.

The sandalwood tree is considered as a partial root parasite because it completes its nutritional requirements from the other plants. The roots of this type of plant are modified and called haustoria whose function is to penetrate host plants and take nutrition from them.

Viscum is the tree that is partially stem parasite. These plants take up the water and minerals only from the host and stay them on the stem of the host.

The total stem parasite plant is Cuscuta which depends on host plants for both water and sugars.

The total root parasite plant is Rafflesia. The host plant roots support this plant to grow on them and obtain water and sugars from them.

Hence, the correct answer is option (A).

Note: The plants which have chlorophyll and have the capability to produce the organic substance which they require is called partial parasitic plants. Thus, we see that there are different types of partial parasitic plants or trees that either depend on the stem of the host plant or roots of the host plants. They derive minerals, nutrition, and water from the host plant and meet their survival requirement.