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Mistletoe family
Loranthaceae Juss.
ヤドリギ科
A family of stem-parasitic hemiparasites distributed from tropical to temperate regions worldwide, comprising about 75 genera and 950 species. They parasitize stems and trunks of host plants. In Japan, several species including Taxillus and Loranthus are native, forming conspicuous green clumps on host branches in winter deciduous forests.
Key Characteristics
- ●Evergreen hemiparasites parasitizing stems and branches of host plants
- ●Leaves are opposite and coriaceous, retaining photosynthetic ability (hemiparasitic)
- ●Flowers are small, 3- to 6-merous
- ●Fruit is a viscid berry, dispersed by birds
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Parallel / Pinnate
Leaf margin
Entire
Growth form
Shrub / Tree / Vine
Evergreen/Deciduous
Evergreen
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Stipules
Absent
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Petal count
3 petals / 4 petals / 5 petals / 6 petals / Many
Ovary position
Inferior
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite / Monoecious
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core Eudicots > Santalales > Loranthaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous (ca. 85 million years ago)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Acquisition of stem parasitism and development of host tissue penetration mechanisms
- ・Coevolution of viscid berries with bird-mediated seed dispersal
- ・Parasitic strategy retaining photosynthetic ability as green hemiparasites
Plants in Mistletoe family on this site
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