Helixanthera odorata (Wall.) Rajasek. in J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. 31: 184. 2007. Loranthus odoratus Wall. in Roxb., Fl. Ind., eds. Carey & Wall. 2: 215. 1824; Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 5: 204. 1886. Hyphear odoratum (Wall.) Danser in Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg, Ser. 3, 10: 319. 1929.

Shrubs with purplish foliage forming clumps up to 1 m or more in diam.; branches glabrous. Leaves usually opposite or rarely subopposite, elliptic-ovate, lanceolate or falcately lanceolate, rounded, obtuse, often narrow attenuate or sometimes decurrent at base, acute or sometimes acuminate at apex, entire or undulate along margins, 5 - 15 x 1.2 - 4.5 cm, coriaceous; lateral nerves 5 - 9 pairs; petioles 5 - 15 mm long. Inflorescences axillary spikes, 3 - 6 cm long; peduncles 1 or 2 in each axil, 10 - 12-flowered. Flowers sessile, alternate or opposite, inserted in excavations at right angles to the axis, 6-merous, 1.5 - 2 cm long, encircled by collar-like 4 - 4.5 mm long bracts formed by excavations. Calyculus cupular, truncate, ca 0.2 mm long. Petals obovate to spathulate, 3 - 4 mm long, thick, glabrous. Stamens 6, erect; filaments 2 - 2.5 mm long; anthers ovoid, 4-lobed. Ovary ovoid to subglobose, smooth, partly embedded in excavations, 1 - 1.5 mm long; style smooth; stigma conical, papillate. Fruits ellipsoid, 3.5 - 6 x 2.5 - 3.5 mm, smooth, orange when fresh, black or reddish brown when dry.

Fl. & Fr. Jan. - Sept.

Distrib. India: Subtropical to temperate evergreen forests, at 1200 to 2500 m altitude, found on Quercus and Lithocarpus spp. Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Manipur.

Nepal and Bhutan.

Notes. Vessels with scalariform pitting; fibres are of two types - one excessively thick- walled with simple pits and another with very excessively thick-walled with ramiform pits.

Pollen triangular; P - 17 (18.6) 21 µm; E - 25 (28); P/E - 0.70 µm; ex. 1.5 µm; col. 0.5 µm.