62 

 PLATE 76. 



LORANTHUS KBAUSSIANUS, Meisn. 

 Natural Order, LORANTHACK^;. 



Parasitic on trees. Branches terete, glabrous, light brown, lenticulate, young 

 ones green. Leaves opposite, subopposite or scattered, petiolate, exstipulate, ovate, 

 ovate-oblong, or ovato-lanceolate, cuneate at base, acuminate to an obtuse apex, 

 quite entire, glabrous and shining, coriaceous, veins indistinct; 1^ to 3 inches 

 long, ^ to 1^ inches wide, petiole 4-6 lines long. Inflorescence in 3 to 8 flowered 

 umbels, peduncles axillary, opposite or scattered on the branches, flowers pedi- 

 cellate. Calyx gamosepalous, ovate, entire, green, limb very short, fringed or 

 ciliate, bract 1 , shorter than calyx, adnate to the pedicel. Corolla gamopetalous, 

 valvate, tube strongly constricted above the base, which is much inflated, then 

 gradually widening to centre, lobes 5 to 6, linear, a little contracted and concave 

 at apex, bright red externally, a little lighter within, dull greenish yellow at apex, 

 1^ to 2 inches long, the swollen base 2^ lines diameter, the constricted portion -| 

 line, the broadest portion of the tube above the constriction 2 lines wide, apex of 

 bud obtuse. Stamens 5-6, one on each corolla lobe, inserted at base of concave 

 apex, two thirds upwards from the sinus. Filaments short. Anthers linear, 2 

 celled, erect, attached at base ; when in bud cohering just below the stigma. Style 

 filiform, stigma sub-globose, densely and minutely papillose. Ovary inferior, 1 

 celled, 1 seeded. Fruit a berry, red when ripe. 



Habitat: NATAL : Parasitic on trees in the coast and midland districts. 

 Drawn and described from a plant in flower on Berea, November, 1898. 



The genus is a large one comprising over 300 species, of which 5 only are 

 found in Natal. It is closely allied to Viscum, one member of which genus, viz., 

 Yiscum album is the common Mistletoe of Europe. The flowers of the above 

 described species are visited by " Sun Birds," principally by the olive sun bird 

 (Cinniris olivaceous) which inserts its long bill in the slits of the unopened corolla, 

 causing it to open suddenly, bursting the anthers and scattering the pollen not 

 upon the stigma of the same flower, but upon the head of the Sun birds who 

 carry it to other flowers. Experiments made by covering many flowers with 

 nets show that thus protected from the birds, no seeds are set. The fruit is a 

 berry and the seeds are covered with mucilage, they are used in common with 

 the berries of allied species to make a very effective bird lime. The berries are 

 eaten by birds, notably the little Tinker bird (Barbetula pusilla) ; it rejects the 

 seed and viscid matter cleaning its bill upon branches of trees to which the 

 seeds adhere, thus ensuring the propagation of the plant. A full account of the 

 fertilisation of this flower, and an allied species (Loranthus Dregei) is given in 

 " Nature " under date, January 3rd, 1895. 



Fig. 1, Branch with leaves and flowers, reduced; 2, Calyx, corolla removed 

 showing upper portion of ovary ; 3, Bud ; 4, Bud opened out showing position of 

 stamens ; 5, Bud just before opening ; 6, Flower ; all enlarged. 



