Dendrophthoe falcata
Dendrophthoe falcata
''Dendrophthoe falcata'' is one of the hemiparasitic plants that belong to the ''Loranthaceae'' family of mistletoes. It is the most common of all the mistletoes that occur in India. At the moment reports say that it has around 401 plant hosts. The genus ''Dendrophthoe'' comprises about 31 species spread across tropical Africa, Asia, and Australia among which 7 species are found in India.
''D.falcata'' bears grey barks, thick coriaceous leaves variable in shape with stout flowers . The flowering inflorescences in D.falcata was previously referred to as axillary or as one developing on the scars of fallen leaves, but Y.P.S Pundir verified it to be of strictly cauliflorous nature and also notified that it shares fundamental similarity to that of ''Ficus glomerata, F. pomifera'' and ''F. hispida''. Two of its varieties are widespread in India namely, var. ''falcata'' and var. ''coccinea'' distinguished by occurrence of white and red flowering, respectively . To date, ''D.falcata'' represents the only known mistletoe with the largest global host range which is continuously and rapidly widening.
''D.falcata'' bears grey barks, thick coriaceous leaves variable in shape with stout flowers . The flowering inflorescences in D.falcata was previously referred to as axillary or as one developing on the scars of fallen leaves, but Y.P.S Pundir verified it to be of strictly cauliflorous nature and also notified that it shares fundamental similarity to that of ''Ficus glomerata, F. pomifera'' and ''F. hispida''. Two of its varieties are widespread in India namely, var. ''falcata'' and var. ''coccinea'' distinguished by occurrence of white and red flowering, respectively . To date, ''D.falcata'' represents the only known mistletoe with the largest global host range which is continuously and rapidly widening.