Tristerix aphyllus

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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.

Contents

Tristerix aphyllus
Tristerix aphyllus flowers.jpg
Tristerix aphyllus
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
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]
TristerixaphyllusDistributionMap2.png
Occurrence data from GBIF

Description

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]

Taxonomy

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)

Tristerix aphyllus: fruit Tristerix aphyllus.jpg
Tristerix aphyllus: fruit

Related Research Articles

Loranthaceae Family of mistletoes

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.

<i>Tristerix</i> Genus of mistletoes

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.

<i>Echinopsis chiloensis</i> Species of plant

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.

<i>Decaisnina</i> Genus of mistletoes

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.

<i>Psittacanthus robustus</i> Species of mistletoe

Psittacanthus robustus is a species of Neotropical mistletoe in the family Loranthaceae, which is found in Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and Venezuela.

<i>Agelanthus pungu</i> Species of mistletoe

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.

<i>Amyema bifurcata</i> Species of epiphyte

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.

<i>Amyema melaleucae</i> Species of plant

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.

<i>Psittacanthus calyculatus</i> Species of parasitic flowering plant in the family Loranthaceae

Psittacanthus calyculatus,, is a species of Neotropical mistletoe in the family Loranthaceae, native to Colombia, Mexico, the Mexican Gulf, and Venezuela.

<i>Psittacanthus schiedeanus</i> Species of parasitic flowering plant in the family Loranthaceae

Psittacanthus schiedeanus G.Don is a species of Neotropical mistletoe in the family Loranthaceae, which is native to Panamá, Costa Rica, Honduras and Mexico.

<i>Muellerina myrtifolia</i> Species of mistletoe

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.

<i>Decaisnina brittenii</i> Species of epiphyte

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.

<i>Decaisnina hollrungii</i> Species of epiphyte

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.

<i>Amylotheca</i> Genus of mistletoes

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

References

  1. Kraus, R., P. Trimborn, and H. Ziegler. 1995. Tristerix aphyllus, a holoparasitic Loranthaceae. Naturwissenschaften 82: 150-151.
  2. International Plant Names Index. 2018. "Tristerix aphyllus". Published online. Accessed 4 April 2018.
  3. Nickrent, D.L.. et al. 2018. "Parasitic Plant Connection: Tristerix aphyllus". Accessed: 4 April 2018.
  4. Mauseth, J.D., Montenegro, G.M. Walckowiak, A.M. 2011. Studies of the holoparasite Tristerix aphyllus (Loranthaceae) infecting Trichocereus chilensis (Cactaceae). Canadian Journal of Botany 62(4):847-857 doi:10.1139/b84-124 "(pdf)".
  5. Miers, J. 1830 in Prodromus (ed de Candolle 4:307.
  6. Barlow, B.A. & Wiens, D. 1973. The classification of the generic segregates of Phrygilanthus (= Notanthera) of the Loranthaceae. Brittonia 25, 26. doi:10.2307/2805488 (p.39̟)
  7. Govaerts, R. et al. 2018. "Tristerix aphyllus". in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 4 April 2018.