''Aeginetia flava'' is a plant in the broomrape family

Orobanchaceae Orobanchaceae, the broomrapes, is a family of mostly parasitic plants of the order Lamiales, with about 90 genera and more than 2000 species. Many of these genera (e.g., '' Pedicularis'', '' Rhinanthus'', '' Striga'') were formerly included in ...

, native to Thailand. The specific epithet is from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

meaning "yellow" or "golden yellow", referring to the flowers.

Description

''Aeginetia flava'' grows as a herb with stems tall. The flowers, solitary on the stem, feature bright yellow petals. The

ovoid An oval () is a closed curve in a plane which resembles the outline of an egg. The term is not very specific, but in some areas (projective geometry, technical drawing, etc.) it is given a more precise definition, which may include either one o ...

fruits are capsules measuring up to long.

Distribution and habitat

''Aeginetia flava'' is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to Thailand, where it is confined to

Khao Soi Dao Wildlife Sanctuary Khao Soi Dao Wildlife Sanctuary ( th, เขตรักษาพันธุ์สัตว์ป่าเขาสอยดาว) is a wildlife sanctuary in Thailand's Chanthaburi Province. It covers the area around Khao Soi Dao Tai and Khao Soi ...

. Its habitat is in

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfo ...

, at altitudes of . In common with other species of its genus, ''Aeginetia flava'' is

parasitic Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...

. In this population, it attaches to the roots of a ''

Strobilanthes ''Strobilanthes'' is a genus of about 350 species of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, mostly native to tropical Asia and Madagascar, but with a few species extending north into temperate regions of Asia. Many species are cultivated for ...

'' species.

References

Orobanchaceae Endemic flora of Thailand Plants described in 2012 {{Orobanchaceae-stub