Loranthaceae

Tapinanthus rubromarginatus on Faurea saligna in Waterberg, South Africa

The belt flower plants ( Loranthaceae ) are a family of plants within the order of sandalwood ( Santalales ), according to today's boundary comprises about 73 genera with about 950 species. This mistletoe -like plants are semi- parasites ( semi parasite ). - Note that the German name belt flower is used not only for the eponymous genus Loranthus, but also for the genus Loropetalum the witch hazel family ( Hamamelidaceae ).

• 2.1 life
• 2.2 pollination

• 5.1 Notes and references

Description

Appearance and leaves

They grow mostly evergreen shrubby, or as self- erect shrubs, rarely trees as ( well-developed specimens of Nuytsia floribunda ) or less often than lianas (eg Tristerix ). The Secondary growth in thickness is via a conventional Kambiumring or abnormal about a concentric cambium ( Nuytsia floribunda ).

In some species the leaves are reduced and photosynthesis takes place over green branches. In most species, but well-developed leaves are present. The most against permanent leaves have a simple, full leaves, often leathery or fleshy, rarely membranous lamina. There are no stipules present.

Inflorescences and flowers

The flowers are in zymösen, racemose, aged men, frets that time or doldigen inflorescences together. The flowers are on a pair of bracts, which are fused and form a side cup.

The flowers are usually hermaphroditic, but there are rare species with unisexual flowers ( Nuytsia floribunda ), these species are monoecious getrenntgeschlechtig ( monoecious ). The flowers are more or less radial symmetry and usually five or sechszählig ( three to neunzählig ). The base of the flower ( Rezeptakel ) is clearly hollow. There is not a flower cup ( hypanthium ) available. There may be three to nine free or intergrown distinct sepals, but they can also be more or less strongly reduced until only a lobate to serrated cup or ring is visible. The sepals are already opened in the flower bud and durable. The three to nine petals can be free, but often they are fused into a tube. The often curved corolla tube may be split on one side and the corolla may be double lip. The color of the petals ranges from yellow through orange to red. It is only the inner circle, usually with five or six ( three to nine ) fertile stamens present. The stamens are mutually free, but fused with the petals. The anthers open by a longitudinal slit. The two-celled pollen grains usually have three or more rarely four apertures and are COLPAT; at Atkinsonia no apertures are available. Three or four carpels are fused to an under standing, unilocular ovary. In basal placentation are four to twelve seated, undifferentiated ovules.

Fruit and seeds

The indehiscent fruits are mostly fleshy, rarely nichtfleischig (eg Nuytsia floribunda ). Almost all species produce berries, a few kinds of stone fruits, only Nuytsia floribunda there are nuts.

The seeds contain much oily endosperm. The seeds do not have a seed coat ( testa), but are covered with a sticky material. Well differentiated, chlorophyll-containing embryo has two cotyledons or ( cotyledons ), which are often connected together.

Chromosome numbers

The basic chromosome numbers be x = 8-12.

Ecology

Way of life

They live as woody semi- parasites ( semi parasite ) on the aerial parts of trees and shrubs or on roots of host plants. In some species, no roots in the real sense are present, but they are more like haustoria.

Pollination

Many species have relatively large, showy red or yellow colored long- tubed flowers, the birds ( Ornithophilie ) are pollinated. For the other species with smaller and more inconspicuous flowers pollination is done by insects ( entomophily ). The only native type in Europe, the oak mistletoe ( Loranthus europaeus), has inconspicuous yellowish flowers.

Dissemination

Most kinds of belts flower plants come from the moderate areas of the subtropics to the tropics, mainly in the southern hemisphere before. In Central Europe, only the oak mistletoe belongs ( Loranthus europaeus) to this family.

System

The Loranthaceae family was erected in 1808 by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in Annales du Museum National d' Histoire Naturelle, Vol 12, p 292. Type genus is Loranthus Jacq .. Synonyms for Loranthaceae Juss. are: Elytranthaceae Tiegh, Gaiadendraceae Tiegh. . ex Nakai, Treubellaceae Tiegh. nom. illeg. , Psittacanthaceae Nakai, Nuytsiaceae Tiegh.

The earlier also made ​​here in Central Europe domestic mistletoes of the genus Viscum and more with these related genera that have been temporarily placed in a separate family Viscaceae belong according to recent findings to the family of Sandelholzgewächse ( Santalaceae ).

In the Loranthaceae family about 65 to 73 genera are found:

• Alepis flavida ( Hook.f. ) Tiegh. ; it is native to New Zealand

• Atkinsonia ligustrina ( Lindl. ) F.Muell. ; it is endemic to the Blue Mountains in south-eastern Australia

• Benthamina alyxifolia ( Benth. ) Tiegh. ; it occurs in eastern Australia

• Cecarria obtusifolia ( Merr. ) Barlow; it occurs in the Philippines and by Flores and Timor to north Queensland

• Desmaria mutabilis ( Poepp. & Endl. ) Tiegh. ex T.Durand & B.D.Jacks. ; it occurs only in Chile

• Emelianthe panganensis (Engl. ) Danser; it occurs in East and Northeast Africa

• Gaiadendron punctatum ( Ruiz & Pav ) G.Don; they occur in tropical America

• Helicanthes elasticus ( Desvaux ) Danser; the species occurs in India

• Ileostylus micranthus ( Hook. f ) Tiegh. ; it occurs in New Zealand

• Kingella scortechinii ( King) Tiegh. ; it occurs in Malaysia

• Lampas elmeri ( Merr. ) Danser; it occurs in North Borneo

• Oak mistletoe ( Loranthus europaeus Jacq. ), The only European species of the family

• Lysiana casuarinae ( Miq. ) Tiegh.

• Moquiniella rubra ( A.Spreng. ) Balle; it is found in South Africa

• Notanthera heterophylla ( Ruiz & Pav ) G. Don; it is found in South America

• Nuytsia floribunda ( Labill. ) R.Br.; it is native to western Australia

• Panamanthus panamensis ( Rizzini ) Kuijt; the species is only found in Panama

• Papuanthes albertisii ( Tiegh. ) Danser; the species is found only in New Guinea

• Pedistylis galpinii ( Schinz ex Sprague ) of Vienna; it is found in South Africa

• Sogerianthe sogerensis ( S.Moore ) Danser

• Thaumasianthes amplifolia ( Merr. ) Danser; it occurs in the Philippines

• Trilepidea adamsii ( Cheeseman ) Tiegh. ; it occurs in the North Island in New Zealand

• Tupeia antarctica ( G.Forst. ) Cham. & Schltdl. ; it occurs in New Zealand

• Vanwykia remota ( Baker & Sprague ) of Vienna; it occurs in south-eastern Africa.

Swell

• The Loranthaceae in APWebsite family. ( Section systematics)
• The Loranthaceae at DELTA by L. Watson & MJ Dallwitz family. (Section Description and dissemination )
• Daniel L. Nick Rent, Lytton J. Musselman: Introduction to Parasitic Flowering Plants. In: The Plant Health Instructor, St. Paul, 2004: Online doi: 10.1094/PHI-I-2004-0330-01 (Section Ecology )
• DL Nick Rent et al: .. A revised classification of Santalales, In: Taxon, Volume 59, 2010, S.538 - 558. ( Section systematics)
• David John Mabberley: Mabberley 's Plant -Book. A portable dictionary of plants, Their classification and uses. 3rd ed Cambridge University Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-521-82071-4