LORANTHACEjE. III. MISODENDRON. IV. LORANTHDS. V. STRUTHANTHUS. 



409 



LIN. SYST. Dioecia, Tetrdndria ? Flowers dioecious ; male 

 ones unknown ; female ones having the tube of the calyx adnate 

 to the ovarium, and furnished with 3 long plumose bristles on the 

 outside, alternating with 3 bracteas, which are adnate to the 

 calyx ; limb of calyx minute, truncate. Fruit an oblong trique- 

 trous indehiscent utriculus, crowned by the permanent limb of 

 the calyx. Seed one ; albumen fleshy. Small smooth parasi- 

 tical shrubs, with the habit of Viscum. 



1. Plant leafless. 



1 M. PUNCTULA'TUM (Banks, mss. ex D. C. prod. 4. p. 286.) 

 plant leafless ; branches terete, rugged from dots ; bracteas 

 alternate along the branches, half stem-clasping, ovate, obtuse ; 

 flowers 1-2, sessile in the axils of the bracteas. fj . P. S. Na- 

 tive of America, on trees. D. C. coll. mem. vi. t. 11. 



Var. a, Magellanicum. Tj . P. H. Native of the Straits of 

 Magellan. Viscum flavescens, Comm. herb. 



Var. ft, subumbellatum. tj . P. G. Native of the north-west 

 coast of America, in Statenland. It differs from var. a in the 

 branches being thicker and somewhat umbellate. 



Dotted-branched Misodendron. Shrub par. 



2. Plants furnished nilh leaves. Branches alternate, bear- 

 ing each one articulated leaf at the apex. 



2 M. BRACHYSTA'CHYUM (D. C. coll. mem. vi. t. 12. f. 1.) 

 branches alternate, bearing each an obovate or oval obtuse leaf 

 at the apex ; spiklets few-flowered, bractless, rising from the 

 branchlets beneath the leaves ; fruit ovate. J; . P. H. Native 

 of the north-west coast of America, in Statenland. Leaves 3-5 

 lines long, and 2-3 broad, flat, nerveless. Flowers and fruit not 

 sufficiently known, and therefore the genus is doubtful. 



Short-spiked Misodendron. Shrub par. 



3 M.? QUADRIFLORUM (D. C. coll. mem. iv. t. 12. f. 2.) 

 branchlets alternate, each bearing an oblong-obovate subserru- 

 lated leaf at the apex, and 4 sessile unilateral flowers on the 

 upper side. (7 . P. H. Native of North America, in Staten- 

 Innd. This is very like the preceding species in habit, but differs 

 in the flowers and fruit being unilateral. Calyx triquetrous, 

 dehiscing at the sides. 



Four-flowered Misodendron. Shrub par. 



3. Plants furnished with leaves. Leaves alternate. Branches 

 Jloriferous at the apex. 



4 M. OBLONGIFOLIUM (D. C. prod. 4. p. 671.) branches clothed 

 with fine velvety down ; leaves oblong-lanceolate, cuneated at 

 the base, 3-nerved, glabrous ; spikes bearing each one leaf at the 

 base, conforming to the others. I? . P. G. Native of Chili 

 (Bertero), and of Chiloe (Cuming). Genus novum, no. 1. 

 Poepp. pi. exsic. no. 813. Flowers bractless, with 8-10 distant 

 ones in each spike. 



Oblong-leaved Misodendron. Shrub par. 



5 M. LINEARIFOLIUM (D. C. prod. 4. p. 671.) plant glabrous; 

 leaves linear, acute ; flowers sessile, solitary at the axils of the 

 leaves in the flowering branches. T? . P. G. Native of Chili, 

 where it was collected by Poeppig. Genus novum, no. 2. Poepp. 

 pi. exsic. no. 800. 



Linear-leaved Misodendron. Shrub par. 



C M. MICROPHY'LLUM (Hook, et Am. in bot. misc. 3. p. 357.) 

 leaves minute, linear ; flowers sessile, solitary at the axils of the 

 leaves ; branches pubescent. ^ P- G. Native of Chili, in 

 the province of Maule. Closely allied, but apparently quite dis- 

 tinct from the preceding species. 



Small-leaved Misodendron. Shrub par. 



Cvlt. These are singular shrubs, similar to the Mistletoe, 

 but are not cultivable in gardens. 



VOL. III. 



FIG. 74. 



IV. LORA'NTHUS (fromlorum, a lash made of leather, and 

 avdof, anthos, a flower ; alluding to the long linear shape and 

 leathery substance of the petals). Mart, in D. C. prod. 4. p. 

 671. Loranthus species of Lin. and others. 



LIN. SYST. Pcnta-Hexandria,Monogynia. Flowers dioecious or 

 hermaphrodite. Calyx cup-shaped, adnate, with an entire border. 

 Petals 5-6 (f. 74. a. d.), linear, reflexed. Stamens inserted into 

 the middle of the petals; filaments short ; anthers globose, didy- 

 mous, having the cells dehiscing in front towards the connecting 

 part. Style thickish ; stigma simple. Berry globose (f. 74. e.), 

 umbilicate by the calyx, 1 -celled, 1 -seeded as in the rest of the 

 genera, broken off from the present.- Parasitical shrubs. Spikes 

 axillary and terminal, simple. Flowers immersed in the fleshy 

 rachis, each propped by a somewhat orbicular bractea at the base. 



1 L. EUROPE us (Lin. spec. 1672.) plant glabrous, much 

 branched ; branches terete ; leaves opposite, petiolate, oval-ob- 

 long, obtuse, somewhat attenu- 

 ated at the base ; racemes ter- 

 minal, simple ; flowers dioecious, 



of 6 petals ; anthers adnate in 

 the male flowers. ^ . P. H. 

 Native of Austria, Hungary, 

 Italy, and Upper Siberia, parasi- 

 tical on oak and sweet-chestnut 

 trees. Jacq. fl. austr. t. 30. 

 Schkuhr, handb. t. 94. Sturm, 

 fl. germ, with a figure. Plench. 

 icon. t. 248. Habit of Viscum 

 album. Flowers greenish. Ber- 

 ries oval, white or yellowish. 

 This is the Viscum or Mistletoe 

 of the ancients. 



European Loranthus. Shrub 

 par. 



2 L. ODORA V TUS (Wall, in Roxb. fl. ind. 2. p. 215.) glabrous ; 

 branches terete ; leaves nearly opposite, ovate-lanceolate, fleshy : 

 spikes axillary, subfascicled, with a foveolate fleshy rachis, and 

 jointed sessile subimmersed spreading 6-petalled hexandrous 

 flowers ; anthers ovate, inserted by the base ; style shorter than 

 the petals. Jj . P. G. Native of Nipaul, on the mountains of 

 Chandigiri and Sheopore, parasitical on trees. D. Don, prod. fl. 

 nep. p. 143. Schultes, syst. 7. p. 101. D. C. prod. 4. p. 294. 

 Leaves pale green, at length becoming yellowish, from 4 to 6 

 inches long. Spikes shorter than the leaves, many flowered, 

 almost sessile. Flowers small, nearly white, very sweet-scented, 

 at first clavate, but at length spreading ; petals cuneate, slightly 

 concave at the apex. Ovarium supported by no other bractea 

 than the acute margin of the foveola of the rachis. 



Sweet-scented-fiowered Loranthus. Shrub par. 



3 L. LAMBERTIA'NUS (Schultes, syst. 7. p. 118.) glabrous, 

 dichotomously branched ; leaves opposite, on very short petioles, 

 ovate-lanceolate, narrowed at both ends, acute, nerved ; spikes 

 terminal, solitary ; flowers half immersed in the foveolate rachis, 

 5-petalled ; anthers fixed by the back. ^ . P. G. Native of 

 Nipaul. Habit of L. Europeans. 



Lambert's Loranthus. Shrub par. 



Cult. The species have the habit of common mistletoe, but 

 are not cultivable in gardens on account of their being parasitical. 



V. STRUTHA'NTHUS (from orpovOoe, strouthos, a spar- 

 row, and avOoe, anthos, a flower ; some of the species are 

 called Erva de Passerinho and Herba dos Passeros, i. e. Sparrow- 

 plant, in South America). Mart, in D. C. prod. 4. p. 671. 

 Loranthus species of authors. 



LIN. SYST. Hexandria, Monogynia. Flowers hermaphrodite, 

 almost always 6-parted (except in one species, which is 4-parted 

 3 G 



