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Accession Data:

Viscum minimum Harvey

  • Common Name: Dwarf Mistletoe
  • Family: Santalaceae R.Br.

  • Country of Origin: South Africa
  • Habitat: parastic on Euphorbia polygona

  • Description: A rare stem parasite growing on only a single species of Euphorbia - E. polygona. Most of the plant consists of branching haustoria within the host plant. The visible portions consist of minute stems with a single 0.5mm internode and a whorl of 2 or 3 scale leaves (both photosynthetic, hence a hemiparasite) and a single inflorescence. Each inflorescence has 2 or 3 scale-bracts at the base, in the axils of which other cymules may arise. The whole inflorescence may thus be rather congested. The fruit is a smooth, red, globose berry 8-9mm in diameter.
  • Uses: parasitic on Euphorbia polygona cv. 'Snowflake'
  • Culture: See Horwood, 1983 (below) for a more indepth discussion of the cultural requirements.

Accession Data:

  • Accession # 199900613
  • Source: John Trager - Huntington BG
  • Provenance: HBG 79361 ISI 96-60;
  • Accession Date: 12-07-1999
  • Bench: 2205 - XER:Namib / Karoo B
    • Currently: active - healthy
    • Qty: 5 confirmed on 03-24-2025
  • Restrictions:
    • Federally Listed Noxious Weed - Plants are not to leave Greenhouse!

Classification:

  • Division: Magnoliophyta
  • Class: Magnoliopsida
  • SubClass: core eudicots
  • Order: Santalales
  • SubOrder:
  • Family: Santalaceae
  • SubFamily:
  • Tribe:
  • SubTribe:

Flowering Data:

This accession has been observed in bloom on:
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006

References (internal):

  • Parastic Plant Species
  • EEB 3271 - Systematic Botany
  • EEB 3203 - Developmental Plant Morphology
  • EEB Greenhouse Holdings native to: Cape Provinces

References (external):

  1. About Viscum, a mistletoe - visited 22 April 2008
  2. Horwood, F. K., Two parasites of Euphorbia: Viscum minimum and Hydnora africana, The Euphorbia Journal, Vol 1, pg 45-8, Strawberry Press, 1983
  3. The Plant List (2013). Version 1.1. Last accessed on Thursday, May 10, 2018.

data regenerated on Mon, 24 Mar 2025 09:24:30 -0400 [bcm v4.0]

Images:

Viscum minimum

Additional images for this accession:

Click on thumbnails to enlarge

Current Accessions in the Santalaceae

  • Viscum minimum
W/C = Wild Collected
= indicates flowering in past 14 days
= images available for this accession
= map available for this accession
= accession added within past 90 days
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