Parasitic plants show striking convergence in host preference across angiosperm lineages.

Background And Aims: The host specificity of a parasite underpins its ecology, distribution, invasive potential and adaptability, yet for most parasitic plants host ranges are poorly understood. We examine host-parasite relationships across lineages to infer how host specificity may have influenced the evolution of parasitism in plants.

Methods: Host preference data for all plant holoparasite species were manually collected from literature and herbarium specimens, then analysed to investigate and visualise host diversity and specificity.