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''Cynomorium coccineum'' is a parasitic perennial flowering plant in the Cynomoriaceae, a family consisting of only one (or perhaps two) species in the genus ''Cynomorium''. Its wider relationships are uncertain. Common names include the misleading Maltese fungus or Maltese mushroom; also desert thumb, red thumb, ''tarthuth'' (Bedouin) and ''suo yang'' (Chinese). A rare or local species, it grows in dry, rocky or sandy soils, often in salt marshes or other saline habitats close to the coast. It has had a wide variety of uses in European, Arabic and Chinese herbal medicine.〔, ''Wild Flowers of the Mediterranean'', p33, A&C Black, London (2004)〕〔(ITM Online: ''CYNOMORIUM: Parasitic Plant Widely Used in Traditional Medicine'' ), by Subhuti Dharmananda, Ph.D., plus ''The Treasure of Tarthuth'', by R.W. Lebling, Jr. 〕 ==Description== The plant has no chlorophyll and is unable to photosynthesise. It is a geophyte, spending most of its life underground, in the form of a rhizome, which is attached to the roots of its host plant; it is a holoparasite, i.e. totally dependent on its host. The low-growing inflorescence emerges (in spring, following winter rain), on a fleshy, unbranched stem (most of which is underground) with scale-like, membranous leaves. Dark-red or purplish, the inflorescence consists of a dense, erect, club-shaped mass, some 15–30 cm long (6–12 in), of minute scarlet flowers, which may be male, female or hermaphrodite.〔(UBC Botanical Garden: Botany Photo of the Day ), 26 Feb 2008 〕 It is pollinated by flies, attracted to the plant by its sweet, slightly cabbage-like odour. Once pollinated the spike turns black.〔 The fruit is a small, indehiscent nut.〔(DELTA ) 〕 In the Mediterranean region, ''Cynomorium'' is a parasite of salt-tolerant plants in the Cistaceae (cistus family) or Amaranthaceae (amaranth family); elsewhere it parasitizes Amaranthaceae, Tamaricaceae (tamarisks) and, in China, Nitrariaceae,〔(MOBOT Saxifragales ) 〕 especially ''Nitraria sibirica''. Other authorities suggest the host plants are saltbushes (''Atriplex'' species, Chenopodiaceae).〔 DNA studies suggest that ''Cynomorium'' is not a member of the Balanophoraceae, as previously thought, but more probably belongs to the Saxifragales, possibly near Crassulaceae (stonecrop family).〔() D.L., , J.P. and , F.E, Discovery of the photosynthetic relatives of the "Maltese mushroom" ''Cynomorium'', ''BMC Evolutionary Biology'' Vol 5:38 (2005) 〕 File:Cynomorium coccineum (habitat).jpg|Habitat in Sardinia File:Cynomorium coccineum (flowers).jpg|Close-up detail of flowers File:Plante desert Wadi Rum.jpg|Emerging inflorescence in the desert in Jordan 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cynomorium coccineum」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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