Tristerix

Tristerix
Tristerix corymbosus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Core eudicots
Order: Santalales
Family: Loranthaceae
Genus: Tristerix
Mart.
Species
  • T. aphyllus
  • T. chodatianus
  • T. corymbosus
  • T. grandiflorus
  • T. longebracteatus
  • T. penduliflorus
  • T. peruvianus
  • T. peytonii
  • T. pubescens
  • T. secundus
  • T. tetrandrus
  • T. verticillatus

Tristerix is a genus of mistletoe in the family Loranthaceae, native to the Andes from Colombia to Chile. They are a woody perennial usually occurring as an aerial parasite, often pollinated by hummingbirds. Recents phylogenetic studies of the 11 known Tristerix species divides the genus into 2 subgenera; Metastachys and Tristerix with 9 and 2 species, respectively (though this was not confirmed by ITS analysis).

The species T. aphyllus is a parasite of cacti in Chile. It is only known to grow on two species of columnar cacti: Echinopsis chilensis and Eulychnia acida. 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 parasite.

flower detail

References

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