Interest in the biology of parasitic flowering plants has been increasing over the past decade, both through it desire to understand the functional biology of these organisms and because of the devastating effects they can have on agricultural crops. This multi-authored book focuses on recent advances in our knowledge of parasitic plants, synthesising information from a wide range of sources. The editors have drawn together an extremely impressive list of international contributors, each an expert in the topics covered, which include seed germination and host penetration, molecular biology and evolution, water/mineral/carbon relations of parasites and their hosts, growth and reproductive ecology, host plant responses to parasitism, parasitic plants as weeds and their control. This important new book will be of great value to upper level undergraduate students and professional ecologists, agriculturists, plant scientists, plant physiologists, crop protection personnel, agrochemical companies and any researcher working with plants.