Loranthus
Loranthus is a genus of parasitic plants that grow on the branches of woody trees. It belongs to the family Loranthaceae, the showy mistletoe family. In most earlier systematic treatments it contains all mistletoe species with bisexual flowers, though some species have reversed to unisexual flowers. Other treatments restrict the genus to a few species. The systematic situation of Loranthus is not entirely clear.
Species
Green mistletoe
GENUS
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderSantalales
- FamilyLoranthaceae
Native toAfghanistan, Albania, Assam, Austria, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Czechia-Slovakia, East Aegean Is., East Himalaya
Observations2,851
via GBIF · Kew POWO
Article
5 sectionsContents
- Taxonomy
- Species
- Ecology
- Culture and religion
- References
Loranthus is a genus of parasitic plants that grow on the branches of woody trees. It belongs to the family Loranthaceae, the showy mistletoe family. In most earlier systematic treatments it contains all mistletoe species with bisexual flowers, though some species have reversed to unisexual flowers. Other treatments restrict the genus to a few species. The systematic situation of Loranthus is not entirely clear.
The generic name in botanical Latin means strap-flower, in reference to the shape of the petals.