Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Parasitic vines with small haustoria.

Stems: Stems filiform, containing chlorophyll.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves reduced to minute scales. Alternate. Margins entire. Pinnately-veined or occasionally tripliveined. Petiolate. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in heads or spicate or racemose inflorescences. Flowers sessile or pedicellate, small, usually aromatic, bisexual (perfect) or unisexual (and then plants monoecious), actinomorphic. Tepals 6, outer 3 smaller than inner 3, usually arranged in whorls of 3, persistent, usually white, greenish white, or yellow, rarely reddish. Fertile stamens 9, those of the third whorl with 2 basal glands, fourth whorl reduced to staminodia; filaments of Stamens of third whorl often with 2 stalked or sessile glands at base; anthers dithecal, opening by valves or small pores. Ovary superior, 1-celled; ovule 1, anatropous; stigma capitate to disciform or lobed, occasionally decurrent on style.

Fruit: Berry-like; enclosed in the floral tube with persistent perianth; rarely fruit seated on a naked pedicel. Seeds without endosperm.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range: