Common Name: Hairy mistletoe
This is a hemirparasitic (they have chlorophyll and undertake photosynthesis but also depend on host plant for water and nutrients) perennial shrub mostly seen around tropical forest areas at altitudes of more than in 500 msl. It is an shrub with attaches to the host plant via haustoria- to extract water and nutrients. The plan belongs to the Indochina and South East Asian region. The entire plant has a rusty tomentose appearance. The simple leafs are arranged in an opposite manner and are elliptical in shape and have a pale green color on the upper s. The inflorescence is axillary and flowers measure around 1 cm in length. The flowers are tubular in shape, bisexual and zygomorphic. The flower is pale green in color and the stamens are seen in reddish color. The fruit is in the form of a fleshy berry which is sub-globose in shape. The seeds are dispersed by birds: especially the ” Flowerpeckers”. In Nilgiris they are often seen on host plants belonging to Rutaceae and Prunus families. In Srilanka it is the larval host plant for Jezebel, Gaudy Baron and White royal butterflies.
