A LIST OiF HOST-PLANTS OF SOME OF THE LORAN 

 THACEM OCCURRING AROUND DURBAN, NATAL. 



By Paul A. van der Bijl, M.A., D.Sc, F.L.S., 

 Natal Herbarium. Durban. 



Read July ii, 19 19. 



The order Loranthacecc was dealt with by Harvey in Vol. II 

 of the " Flora Capensis," and again by Sprague in Vol. V, Sec. II, 

 Pt. I, of the same work. It embraces the two genera Loranthus 

 and Viscum; both of which are shrubby plants which live semi- 

 parasitically on other plants. In this latter work the Province 

 of Natal is credited with eight species belonging to the genus 

 Loranthus and eight belonging to the genus Viscum; of the 

 former, four are recorded from the vicinity of Durban, and of 

 the latter one. 



From the point of view of parks, botanic gardens, and land- 

 scape gardens, these plants are not only unsightly, but, by sapping 

 the hosts on which they grow, are enemies, and should be 

 periodically cut cut. The two probably most common around 

 Durban are Loranthus quinquenervis and Loranthus Dregei. The 

 former occurs specially on Celtis Kraussiana and the latter on 

 Melia azedarach. In the parks around here the former plant is 

 badly 'attacked by the mistletoe, and when the tree has lost its 

 foliage one notices only too plainly the green growth of the 

 mistletoe, often hanging from the branches in long festoons. 

 As is well known, there is a layer of a sticky substance — 

 viscin — around the seed of these plants, by means of which the 

 seeds readily adhere to the beaks of birds eating the berries ; and 

 are spread to other branches or other trees by the bird wiping 

 his beak on them. It is this interesting method of seed 

 distribution which gave rise to the Dutch name " voel-ent " (bird- 

 graft) for these plants. Dr. Wood mentions the " tinker 

 bird" (Barbctula pusilla) as one responsible for spreading 

 Loranthus Kraussianus. We find that the " chcok," or " yellow 

 weaver " (Ploceus siibaureus) and the " toppie " (Pycnonotus 

 harbatus layardi) are especially fond of the berries of Celtis 

 Kraussiaiia, and we would also regard them amongst those 

 spreading the mistletoe so common on these trees. 



An interesting point in connection with these plants was 

 brought to my notice by Mr. E. Piatt, of Durban, and it would 

 appear to be a matter well worth studying further. He observed 

 that the larvae of a Lasiocampid moth — Ocinaropsis obsciira, 

 Aur. — while feeding greedily on Loranthus Dregei, obtained from 

 an orange tree, would not touch this same plant from Melia 

 azedarach (Syringa). Prof. Marloth, in Vol. I of his "Flora 



