File:Viscum_album_2026_G1.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Viscum
Sign in to saveViscum is a genus of over 100 species of mistletoes, native to temperate and tropical regions of Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia. Traditionally, the genus has been placed in its own family Viscaceae, but recent genetic research by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group shows this family to be correctly placed within a larger circumscription of the sandalwood family, Santalaceae. Its name is the origin of the English word viscous, after the Latin viscum, a sticky bird lime made from the plants' berries.
Species
European mistletoe
GENUS
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderSantalales
- FamilyViscaceae
General: Problems may be encountered when keying species of Viscum
via GBIF · Kew POWO
Research
1,337 papers- Viscum album L. Therapy in Oncology: An Update on Current Evidence.Complementary medicine research · 2022
- Viscum album L., a Therapeutic Option for Neoplastic Diseases in Companion Animals? A Systematic Review.Complementary medicine research · 2022
- Viscum articulatum Burm. f.: a review on its phytochemistry, pharmacology and traditional uses.The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology · 2018
- The Antioxidant Activity of Mistletoes (Viscum album and Other Species).Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023
- A Scoping Review of Genus Viscum: Biological and Chemical Aspects of Alcoholic Extracts.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023
via PubMed
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Viscum album 2026 G1.jpg
Show 4 more facts
- taxon name
- Viscum
- Commons category
- Viscum
- taxon common name
- omela
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~5 min read
Article
5 sectionsContents
- Toxicity in the genus ''Viscum''
- Fossil record
- Species
- References
- Other sources
Viscum is a genus of over 100 species of mistletoes, native to temperate and tropical regions of Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia. Traditionally, the genus has been placed in its own family Viscaceae, but recent genetic research by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group shows this family to be correctly placed within a larger circumscription of the sandalwood family, Santalaceae. Its name is the origin of the English word viscous, after the Latin viscum, a sticky bird lime made from the plants' berries.
They are woody, obligate hemiparasitic shrubs with branches long. Their hosts are woody shrubs and trees. The foliage is dichotomously or verticillately branching, with opposite pairs or whorls of green leaves which perform some photosynthesis (minimal in some species, notably V. nudum), but with the plant drawing its mineral and water needs from the host tree. Different species of Viscum tend to use different host species; most species are able to use several different host species.