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Accession Data:

Osyris alba L.

  • Common Name: Osyris
  • Family: Santalaceae R.Br.

  • Country of Origin: Portugal to Turkey
  • Habitat: arid and semidesert areas

  • Description: Osyris alba is a semiparasitic (hemiparasitic) broom-like shrub reaching 30–150 cm (12–59 in) in height. The stem is woody, brown or dark green, sometimes creeping on the ground. This plant has numerous longitudinally striated branches, green when young. The leaves are linear, lanceolate, coriaceous, and persistent, although sometimes deciduous. They are about 15–35 mm (0.59–1.38 in) long and 1–5 mm (0.039–0.197 in) wide. They are produced during the winter, while in summer they are almost totally absent. The flowers are hermaphroditic or unisexual; in the latter case, the male and female flowers show differences associated with the timing of pollination. They are very small (1 or 2 mm), with four yellow-green tepals and four stamens. Flowering period extends from March to June. The fruits are small, red, fleshy drupes, 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) in diameter. Their roots form haustoria that tap into the roots of nearby plants and extract their sap. 2
  • Culture: Facultative hemiparasite - does not require a host.

Accession Data:

  • Accession # 201600017
  • Source: Bonn BG Index Seminum
  • Accession Date: 02-03-2016
  • Bench: 2217 - XER:Misc Deserts
    • Currently: active - healthy
    • Qty: 1 confirmed on 05-04-2022

Classification:

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

References (internal):

  • Parastic Plant Species
  • EEB Greenhouse Holdings native to: Baleares / Corse / France / Portugal / Sardegna / Spain / Albania / Bulgaria / Greece / Italy / Kriti / Sicilia / Turkey-in-Europe / Yugoslavia / Algeria / Libya / Morocco / Tunisia / Cyprus / Lebanon-Syria / Palestine / Turkey

References (external):

  1. The Plant List (2013). Version 1.1. Last accessed on Thursday, 27 December, 2018.
  2. Osyris alba at Wikipedia. Last accessed on Thursday, 27 December, 2018.
  3. Osyris alba at African Plants Database. Last accessed on Thursday, 27 December, 2018.
  4. Osyris alba at Euro/Med Plantbase. Last accessed Thursday, 27 December, 2018.

data regenerated on Wed, 04 May 2022 11:44:42 -0400 [bcm v4.0]

Images:

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Additional images for this accession:

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Current Accessions in the Santalaceae

  • Osyris alba
  • 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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