''Osyris alba'', common name osyris, is a small

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

plant in the genus ''

Osyris ''Osyris'' is a genus of plants in the family Santalaceae, one of the many genera known as sandalwoods, but not one of the true sandalwood. The species of this genus are mostly hemiparasitic, meaning although they can survive and grow by themsel ...

'' belonging to the

Santalaceae The Santalaceae, sandalwoods, are a widely distributed family of flowering plants (including small trees, shrubs, perennial herbs, and epiphytic climbersHewson & George t al.br>''Santalaceae'' taxonomy, 1984, pp. 191-194.) which, like other membe ...

family.

Description

''Osyris alba'' is a semiparasitic (

hemiparasitic 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 ...

) broom-like shrub reaching in height.Pignatti S. - Flora d'Italia – Edagricole – 1982. Vol. I, pag. 129 The stem is woody, brown or dark green, sometimes creeping on the ground. This plant has numerous longitudinally striated branches, green when young. The leaves are linear, lanceolate, coriaceous, and persistent, although sometimes deciduous. They are about long and wide. They are produced during the winter, while in summer they are almost totally absent. The flowers are

hermaphroditic In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrates) do not have separ ...

or unisexual; in the latter case, the male and female flowers show differences associated with the timing of pollination. They are very small (1 or 2 mm), with four yellow-green tepals and four stamens. Flowering period extends from March to June. The fruits are small, red, fleshy drupes, in diameter. Their roots form

haustoria In botany and mycology, a haustorium (plural haustoria) is a rootlike structure that grows into or around another structure to absorb water or nutrients. For example, in mistletoe or members of the broomrape family, the structure penetrates t ...

that tap into the roots of nearby plants and extract their sap.

Distribution

The species is widespread in all countries of the Mediterranean basin, from Portugal to Turkey. It is present in western Asia and in North Africa from Morocco to Tunisia and Libya.

Gallery

File:Osyris alba 3.jpg, Plant of ''O. alba'' File:Osyris alba 2.jpg, In bloom File:Osyris alba (male flower spikes).jpg, Flowers spike File:Osyris alba with fruit.JPG, ''O. alba'' with fruits File:Santalaceae - Osyris alba-2.JPG, Leaves File:Ginestó fruits i llavors2015-10-09.jpg, Fruits and seeds

References

International Plant Name Index

External links

Schede di Botanica

Biolib

alba ''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scottish people, Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed i ...

Flora of Lebanon Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Santalales-stub