noun, plural haus·to·ri·a [haw-stawr-ee-uh, -stohr-] /hɔˈstɔr i ə, -ˈstoʊr-/.
- a projection from the hypha of a fungus into the organic matter from which it absorbs nutrients.
- the penetrating feeding organ of certain parasites.
noun plural -ria (-rɪə)
- the organ of a parasitic plant that penetrates the host tissues and absorbs food and water from them
- A specialized absorbing structure of a parasitic fungus or plant, such as the rootlike outgrowth of the dodder, that obtains food from a host plant. In parasitic fungi, haustoria are specialized hyphae that penetrate the cells of other organisms and absorb nutrients directly from them.