Viscum capense
| Viscum capense | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Viscum capense showing its habit in a typical host tree | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Core eudicots |
| Order: | Santalales |
| Family: | Santalaceae |
| Genus: | Viscum |
| Species: | V. capense |
| Binomial name | |
| Viscum capense | |
Viscum capense has an angled mode of branching that causes its tangled growth. The result is ecologically important because it offers shelter to various organisms. As shown here, the flowers are greenish yellow
Viscum capense (common name, Cape mistletoe) is a species of Mistletoe that is indigenous to South Africa, especially the area from Cape Town, northwards along the coast up to Namibia, and eastwards as far as the Eastern Cape province.
This parasitic plant has jointed stems, small leaves and tiny yellow flowers that produce translucent white berries. The fruit is dispersed by birds. The plant is poisonous but is nonetheless used in traditional African medicine, the plant being boiled to make a tea that is used to soothe asthma.[1][2]
References
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