Erianthemum Dregei on:
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''Erianthemum dregei'' is a species of
A branched parasitic shrub with spreading or pendent stems, forming clumps of up to 2m x 1.5m. The leaves are leathery and hairless, usually alternate (sometimes opposite), with conspicuous side veins. The growing points are velvety brown. The flowers are massed in small clusters and are densely hairy, pale yellowish-green and sometimes flushed orange to pink. The fruit is an orange to bright red berry, 10–15 mm in size. ''Erianthemum dregei'' shows great variation across its range.
parasitic plant
A parasitic plant is a plant that derives some or all of its nutritional requirements from another living plant. They make up about 1% of angiosperms and are found in almost every biome. All parasitic plants develop a specialized organ called the ...
in the family Loranthaceae
Loranthaceae, commonly known as the showy mistletoes, is a family of flowering plants. It consists of about 75 genera and 1,000 species of woody plants, many of them hemiparasites. The three terrestrial species are ''Nuytsia floribunda'' (the W ...
, and is commonly known as the hairy mistletoe or wood flower.
Distribution and habitat
These plants are native to Africa and are parasitic on a large number of tree species in higher rainfall areasHyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T. & Ballings, P. (2011). Flora of Zimbabwe: Species information: Erianthemum dregei. http://www.zimbabweflora.co.zw/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=120950, retrieved 28 November 2011. from theEastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha.
The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...
of South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, through KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...
, Eswatini
Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...
and Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga () is a province of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It ...
, to East Africa, as far as northern Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
.JSTOR PLANT SCIENCE: Entry for ERIANTHEMUM dregei (Eckl. & Zeyh.) Tiegh.:http://plants.jstor.org/flora/ftea004152, retrieved 28 November 2011. They are also found in southern Angola
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.
Description
A branched parasitic shrub with spreading or pendent stems, forming clumps of up to 2m x 1.5m. The leaves are leathery and hairless, usually alternate (sometimes opposite), with conspicuous side veins. The growing points are velvety brown. The flowers are massed in small clusters and are densely hairy, pale yellowish-green and sometimes flushed orange to pink. The fruit is an orange to bright red berry, 10–15 mm in size. ''Erianthemum dregei'' shows great variation across its range.
Human uses
''Erianthemum dregei'' is used in African traditional medicine to treat stomach complaints in children and cattle.Ecological significance
The flowers and fruit attract birds. The leaves are eaten by the larvae of ''Mylothris agathina
''Mylothris agathina'', the eastern dotted border or common dotted border, is a butterfly of the family Pieridae. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa, particularly East Africa and southern Africa. In South Africa its range has spread westwards a ...
''.
References
External links
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q5385925 Loranthaceae Flora of East Tropical Africa Flora of Northeast Tropical Africa Flora of South Africa Flora of South Tropical Africa Flora of Swaziland Plants used in traditional African medicine