Taxillus cuneatus
(B. Heyne ex Roth) Danser in Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg, Ser. 3, 10:
354. 1929. Loranthus cuneatus B.Heyne ex Roth, Nov. Pl. Sp. 193. 1821; Hook.f., Fl. Brit. India 5:
214. 1886.
Branches glabrous, minutely stellate hairy intermixed with a few rusty brown abietiform
hairs when very young, branching usually with somewhat prominent knotty nodes. Leaves
alternate, sometimes in fascicles of 3, obovate, narrowly cuneate and merging with petiole at
base, obtuse and often retuse at apex, entire along margins, 1.5 - 4.5 x 0.5 - 2.5 cm, fleshy to
subcoriaceous, usually glabrous on both surfaces; lateral nerves usually obscure, when visible
2 or 3 pairs; petioles very short . Inflorescences axillary, reduced dichasia, solitary in each axil,
consisting of flowers in diads or rarely in triads; peduncle 2.7 - 3 mm long, glabrous; flower buds
spathulate, glabrous. Flowers 5-merous, 1.5 - 2.5 cm long; pedicels 1.5 - 2.5 mm long; bracts
elliptic to ovate-elliptic, clasping ovary, 1 - 2.5 x 0.8 - 1.3 mm. Calyculus-tube subcylindrical,
irregularly 5-toothed; teeth triangular, 2 - 2.5 mm long. Petals 5, united, up to 3 cm long; tube 9
- 15 mm long, 5-ribbed, with median split up to half the length, greenish yellow outside, orange
inside; lobes 5, linear-elliptic, 4 - 8 mm long. Stamens 5; filaments 1.5 - 2 mm long, dark red;
anthers linear-oblong. Ovary oblong-cylindric, 2 - 2.5 mm long, glabrous or minutely stellate
hairy; style tetragonous; stigma subcapitate, minutely papillate. Fruits obconic, truncate,
crowned with persistent unevenly lobed calyculus, 8 - 10 x 3.5 - 5 mm, sparsely tubercled,
glabrous, red.
Fl. & Fr. Jan. - Nov.
Distrib. India: Deccan and Western Peninsula, from Konkan southwards, from 700 m and above, occurring on a variety of hosts in open forests. Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala.
Sri Lanka.
Notes. Sclereids abundant in mesophyll, vessel members with lateral perforations, pittings alternate; fibres excessively thick-walled, with narrow or much reduced lumen, pittings absent or vestigial pits present.
Pollen 3-lobed; P - 23 (24.3) 26 µm; E - 35 (38.5) 40 µm; P/E - 0.61 µm; ex. 1.5 µm; col. 0.5 µm.
Fl. & Fr. Jan. - Nov.
Distrib. India: Deccan and Western Peninsula, from Konkan southwards, from 700 m and above, occurring on a variety of hosts in open forests. Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala.
Sri Lanka.
Notes. Sclereids abundant in mesophyll, vessel members with lateral perforations, pittings alternate; fibres excessively thick-walled, with narrow or much reduced lumen, pittings absent or vestigial pits present.
Pollen 3-lobed; P - 23 (24.3) 26 µm; E - 35 (38.5) 40 µm; P/E - 0.61 µm; ex. 1.5 µm; col. 0.5 µm.
