Plicosepalus acaciae

Plicosepalus acaciae
On umbrella thorn acacia in the Jordan Rift Valley
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Order:	Santalales
Family:	Loranthaceae
Genus:	Plicosepalus
Species:	P. acaciae
Binomial name
Plicosepalus acaciae (Zucc.) Wiens & Polhill
Synonyms [1]
List Loranthus acaciaeZucc. Loranthus arabicusDeflers Loranthus gibbosulusA.Rich. Loranthus laetusR.Br. Loranthus venustusFenzl ex Eichler Tapinostemma acaciae(Zucc.) Tiegh. Tapinostemma arabicum(Deflers) Tiegh. Tapinostemma venustum(Fenzl ex Eichler) Tiegh.

Plicosepalus acaciae (syn. Loranthus acaciae), the acacia strap flower, is a species of hemiparasitic flowering plant in the family Loranthaceae. ^[2] It is native to northeastern Africa, the Levant, and the Arabian Peninsula. ^[1] As its common and scientific names suggest, it parasitizes acacias; Vachellia tortilis subsp. raddiana (formerly Acacia raddiana) and V. t. subsp. tortilis (formerly A. tortilis). It seeds are dispersed by the white-spectacled bulbul ( Pycnonotus xanthopygos ). ^[3]

References

1. "Plicosepalus acaciae (Zucc.) Wiens & Polhill". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
2. "Loranthus acaciae". Wildflowers of Israel. IsraelBiz. Retrieved 4 August 2021.
3. Green, Adam K.; Ward, David; Griffiths, Megan E. (2009). "Directed dispersal of mistletoe (Plicosepalus acaciae) by Yellow-vented Bulbuls (Pycnonotus xanthopygos)". Journal of Ornithology. 150: 167–173. doi:10.1007/s10336-008-0331-9. S2CID   21225506.