Shrubs, hemiparasitic on trees or rarely parasitic on roots, sometimes dioecious;
indumentum of candelabra, abietiform, stellate, conchiform or anvil hairs, malpighian hairs,
usually represented by one type or occasionally more than one type. Leaves opposite or
whorled, rarely alternate or both, simple, entire, exstipulate, curvipinnately, rectipinnately or
rarely palmatipinnately nerved, petiolate or sessile. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, rarely
ramiflorous, cymose, umbellate, glomerate, as simple or compound dichasium, or often spikes,
centripetal or centrifugal pseudoracemes; flowers solitary, paired or 3 together in axils of bracts,
bisexual or unisexual, actinomorphic or zygomorphic, 4 - 6-merous. Calyx (calyculus) absent or
forming a reduced epigynous rim, rarely 4 - 6-toothed. Corolla choripetalous or sympetalous,
valvate, 3 - 6-merous; petals 3 - 6 (rarely absent), free or connate into a tube; lobes acute or
obtuse, often coiled and interlocked at anthesis. Stamens 3 - 6, opposite and inserted on petals
or at their base; filaments flat, terete or subterete; anthers basifixed or occasionally dorsifixed,
multilocellate or quadrilocellate, sometimes unilocellate or transversely locellate, dehiscing
longitudinally or by terminal pores or transverse slits; connective prolonged into a sterile apex.
Disc present or absent. Ovary inferior, unilocular, glabrous or hairy, occasionally rugose or
muricate; style 1, simple (or absent); stigma capitate, conical, lobed or papillate; ovule solitary
on basal placenta. Fruit a pseudocarp, berry, drupe or samaroid, glabrous or hairy, rugose,
tubercled or pitted; seed 1, often sticky, without testa; endosperm copious, succulent or
sometimes absent, with or without horns, mamillate or non-mamillate; embryo linear, small,
straight, 0.3 - 1.2 times the length of the endosperm; cotyledons sometimes 3 - 6 or absent.
Pantropical, mostly in Southern Hemisphere, extending to temperate zones, ca 68 genera
and ca 900 species; 8 genera and 49 species in India.
Notes.
The anatomical and palynological characters given for the species are from the author's papers published in J. Swamy Bot. Club, Vol. 24: pages 43-56. 2007, unless otherwise stated.
Literature.
BARLOW, B. A. (1997). Loranthaceae in Flora Malesiana 13: 209 - 401. DANSER,
B. H. (1929). On the taxonomy and the nomenclature of the Loranthaceae of Asia and Australia. Bull.
Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg, Ser. III, 10: 291 - 373. DIXIT, S. N. (1962). Rank of the subfamilies of Loranthoideae
and Viscoideae. Bull. Bot. Surv. India 4: 49 - 55. JOHRI, B. M. & A. K. BHATNAGAR (1972).
Loranthaceae - Botanical Monograph. CSIR, New Delhi. KUIJT, J. (2008). A note on stamen position
and petal number in Loranthaceae. Blumea 55(1): 224 - 225. RAJASEKARAN, K. (1986 - 1987).
Studies in Indian Loranthaceae I - VI. J. Swamy Bot. Club 3: 15 - 18, 85 - 90, 157 - 165; ibid. 4: 1 - 3; ibid.
24: 43 - 56. RAJASEKARAN, K. (2007). Studies in Indian Loranthaceae VIII. Inflorescence. J. Econ.
Taxon. Bot. 31(1): 177 - 180.
KEY TO THE GENERA
1 a. Corolla choripetalous; petals free completely or almost to the base, but sometimes pseudosympetalous
or sometimes coherent
b. Bracts small or inconspicuous, 1 - 6 mm long, usually scale-like, 1 - 3 at base of ovary or
forming a cup-like rim on rachis of inflorescence
3
3 a. Corolla 6-merous
4
b. Corolla 5- or 4-merous
5
4 a. Inflorescence axis decussately flattened; flowers sessile, few in a capitulum, bornein hollows;
peduncle subtended by 1 - 4 whorls of bracts; floral bracts and bracteoles longer than ovary,
enclosing whole of calyculus; bracteoles free
b. Inflorescence axis terete or quadrangular or triangular; flowers pedicelled, not borne in hollows;
peduncles not subtended by whorl of bracts; floral bracts and bracteoles shorter than ovary,
not enclosing the calyculus; bracteoles connate
b. Flowers in centrifugal pseudoracemose or compound dichasium or simple dichasium or reduced
dichasium; flower buds otherwise; corolla-lobes reflexed or ob-liquely erect after anthesis;
filaments erect or recurved
6
6 a. Corolla 5-merous, slightly zygomorphic, not deeply split on one side
b. Corolla mostly 4-merous, zygomorphic with a deep split on the inner side of the curved tube
7
7 a. Inflorescence usually 3 - 10-flowered simple raceme, rarely a reduced 2-flowered umbel; fruit
pyriform, obovoid or clavate, distinctly stipitate, not woody