Volume I (1961) - Flora of New Zealand Indigenous Tracheophyta - Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Filicopsida, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledons
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Loranthaceae

LORANTHACEAE

Infl. various, basically cymose, bracted; fls regular, perfect, or plant dioec.; receptacle cup-shaped; per. with 2 similar whorls of tepals, both either sepaloid or petaloid, or outer whorl suppressed; stamens as many as tepals; anthers diversely dehiscent. Ovary inferior, ovules not distinctly differentiated; stigma 1. Fr. baccate or drupaceous; seeds solitary, embryo large. Mostly hemiparasitic shrubs or trees with lvs us. opp. or whorled, simple, entire, thick, exstipulate (lvs sts scalelike). Widespread family with some 30 genera and 1100 spp. In subfamily Loranthoideae there is a calyculus (a toothed or erose rim below the per.). Subfamily Viscoideae lacks a calyculus.

Key

1
Plant ± succulent, not > 10 cm. long; lvs 0 or minute VISCOIDEAE
Plant not succulent, not < 30 cm. long; lvs well-developed LORANTHOIDEAE
2
2
Fls not > 5 mm. long, inconspicuous, greenish yellow
3
Fls not < 12 mm. long, conspicuous, yellow to red
4
3
Fr. yellow, fls perfect
Fr. white or pink; fls unisexual, occ. ones perfect
4
Anthers basifixed; ovary us. 2- or more-celled
Anthers versatile; ovary us. 1-celled
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