Tristerix aphyllus is a holoparasitic plant species of the genus Tristerix [1] in the family Loranthaceae. It is endemic to Chile. T. aphyllus is sometimes called the "cactus mistletoe." It should not be confused with the mistletoe cactus, which is an epiphytic cactus, and not a mistletoe.
Tristerix aphyllus | |
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Tristerix aphyllus | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Order: | Santalales |
Family: | Loranthaceae |
Genus: | Tristerix |
Species: | T. aphyllus |
Binomial name | |
Tristerix aphyllus Tiegh. ex Barlow & Wiens [2] | |
Occurrence data from GBIF |
The mistletoe, Tristerix aphyllus, parasitizes two species of cactus, Echinopsis chiloensis and Eulychnia acida , and in its adult form shows only its flowers and its fruits, bursting forth spectacularly from the columnar cacti which are its hosts. [3] Mauseth (2011) discusses the morphological/anatomical effects of T. aphyllus on the cactus Echinopsis chiloensis. [4]
T. aphyllus was first described by John Miers in 1830 as Loranthus aphyllus [5] but with the publication in 1973 of an article by Barlow & Wiens, [6] became Tristerix aphyllus (author, Tieghem (Tiegh.)).
Other synonyms are:
(sourcesː Govaertset.al., [7] International Plant Names Index, 2018)
Loranthaceae, commonly known as the showy mistletoes, is a family of flowering plants. It consists of about 75 genera and 1,000 species of woody plants, many of them hemiparasites. The three terrestrial species are Nuytsia floribunda, Atkinsonia ligustrina, and Gaiadendron punctatum Loranthaceae are primarily xylem parasites, but their haustoria may sometimes tap the phloem, while Tristerix aphyllus is almost holoparasitic. For a more complete description of the Australian Loranthaceae, see Flora of Australia online., for the Malesian Loranthaceae see Flora of Malesia.
Tristerix is a genus of mistletoe in the family Loranthaceae, native to the Andes, ranging from Colombia and Ecuador to Chile and Argentina. They are woody perennials usually occurring as aerial parasites, are pollinated by hummingbirds and flowerpiercers, with seed-dispersal generally by birds but occasionally by mammals (Dromiciops). The genus is distinguished from other New World Loranthaceae by its simple, terminal, racemose inflorescences, together with its of 4- or 5-merous flowers, versatile anthers, and the presence of endosperm. Further differences include fused cotyledons and the absence of epicortical roots.
Echinopsis chiloensis is a species of cactus native to South America; genus members are known as hedgehog cacti, sea-urchin cactus or Easter lily cactus.
Decaisnina is a genus of semi-parasitic shrubs (mistletoes) that occur in Australia. The type species is D. glauca. Around thirty species are known, found from northern Australia to Tahiti and the Philippines.
Psittacanthus robustus is a species of Neotropical mistletoe in the family Loranthaceae, which is found in Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and Venezuela.
The blue-leaved mistletoe is a species of perennial, parasitic plant in the family Loranthaceae, which is native to the southeastern Afrotropics.
Agelanthus kayseri is a species of hemiparasitic plant in the family Loranthaceae, which is native to Kenya, Tanzania and Somalia.
Agelanthus igneus is a species of hemiparasitic plant in the family Loranthaceae, which is native to Mozambique and Tanzania.
Agelanthus microphyllus is a species of hemiparasitic plant in the family Loranthaceae, which is native to Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania.
Agelanthus uhehensis is a species of hemiparasitic plant in the family Loranthaceae, which is native to Tanzania.
Agelanthus validus is a species of hemiparasitic plant in the family Loranthaceae, which is found in the Usambara Mountains, Tanzania
Agelanthus nyasicus is a species of hemiparasitic plant in the family Loranthaceae, which is native to Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Zaïre and Zimbabwe.
Amyema bifurcata is an epiphytic, flowering, hemiparasitic plant of the family Loranthaceae native to Australia and found in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales.
Amyema melaleucae, also known as the tea-tree mistletoe, is a species of flowering plant within the genus Amyema, an epiphytic hemiparasitic plant of the family Loranthaceae native to Australia and found in Western Australia and South Australia on the coast, from north of Perth almost to the Victorian border.
Psittacanthus calyculatus,, is a species of Neotropical mistletoe in the family Loranthaceae, native to Colombia, Mexico, the Mexican Gulf, and Venezuela.
Psittacanthus schiedeanus G.Don is a species of Neotropical mistletoe in the family Loranthaceae, which is native to Panamá, Costa Rica, Honduras and Mexico.
Muellerina myrtifolia, common name myrtle-leaved mistletoe, is a hemiparasitic arial shrub in the family Loranthaceae. The species is endemic to New South Wales and Queensland.
Decaisnina brittenii is a species of flowering plant, an epiphytic hemiparasitic plant of the family Loranthaceae native to the Northern Territory, Queensland and northern Western Australia.
Decaisnina hollrungii is a species of flowering plant, an epiphytic hemiparasitic plant of the family Loranthaceae native to the New Guinea, Queensland, Australia, and in the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands.
Amylotheca is a genus of hemi-parasitic aerial shrubs in the family Loranthaceae, found in Borneo, Malaysia, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Australia, Sumatra, Thailand, Vanuatu, and Philippines