Loranthaceae

▪ plant family

      one of the mistletoe families of the sandalwood order (Santalales), having approximately 65 genera and about 850 species of parasitic flowering trees or shrubs. Some authorities also consider the 11 genera and about 450 species of the family Viscaceae, including the commonly known mistletoes of the genera Arceuthobium and Phoradendron in North America and of the genera Viscum in Europe, to be part of the Loranthaceae family.

      The striking Australian Christmas tree (Nuytsia floribunda) belongs to the family Loranthaceae. The Old World tropical genus Loranthus, with about 500 species, is the largest genus in this family. Nearly all of the Loranthaceae are limited to the tropics. The plants range in size from small herbs to trees up to 10 m (about 33 feet) high; the smaller species are usually woody parasites on tree branches, while the larger species are root parasites. The unlobed leaves are usually evergreen, sometimes thick and fleshy, and arranged in pairs, each leaf opposite the other on the branch. The green leaves contain some chlorophyll, which allows the plants to manufacture food, but all Loranthaceae are parasitic to a certain extent and form connections (haustoria) to their hosts to obtain water and nutrients. The flowers are usually bisexual, and the fruits are almost always one-seeded berries. The berries are eaten by birds, who distribute the seeds by depositing them on trees or shedding them in droppings.

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