''Oncocalyx quinquenervius'' is a parasitic plant species 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 ...
native to
South Africa.
It is also known as banded matchflower.
Description
''Oncocalyx quinquenervius'' is a
hemiparasite
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 ...
.
Morphology
The flowers are tubular, splitting down one side and have red to pink and white bands. Mainly flowering from June to September (in the southern hemisphere). The leaves are green, succulent and simple in shape, elliptic with margin entire. Usually 5 veined from the leaf base. It grows to a height of 50 cm to 100 cm. The fruit is a red
berry
A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...
about 10mm in diameter.
Taxonomy
This species was previously placed in the genus
Tieghemia.
Distribution and habitat
''Oncocalyx quinquenervius'' is endemic to the
Eastern 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 ...
and
KwaZuluNatal in
South Africa.
Ecology
A stem parasite on trees.
Conservation
The plant is listed as
Least Concern in the SANBI Redlist.
References
Loranthaceae
Flora of South Africa
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