Species
Viscum album
Etymology
album: white
Common Name(s)
mistletoe, European mistletoe
Authority
Viscum album L.
Family
Santalaceae
Brief Description
Hemi-parasitic evergreen shrub, a metre or more in diameter and a range of host trees and shrubs (see note below). Dioecious. Flowers inconspicuous, green. Fruit a white berry.
Flora Category
Vascular - Exotic
Structural Class
Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs
Distribution
It was present locally in the Wairarapa in the vicinity of Masterton & Greytown, but seems to have died out in the early 1970s. (Tom Moss, pers. comm. in 1980s)
Habitat
Barney, C. W., Hawksworth, F. G. and Geils, B. W. (1998) "identified hosts among 452 species, subspecies, varieties, and hybrids in 96 genera of 44 families. Rosaceae has the most hosts with 128 taxa parasitized. Commonly infested genera include Salix, Populus, Acer, Malus, Crataegus, Prunus, Sorbus, Abies, and Pinus."
Flower Colours
Green,Yellow
This page last updated on 18 Feb 2018