Erianthemum dregei (Eckl. & Zeyh.) Tiegh.

Loranthaceae, Polhill & D. Wiens. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1999

Morphology General Habit

Stems spreading to pendent, well branched, to 1.5 m. or so; twigs tomentellous with white to fulvous stellate and shortly dendritic hairs, glabrescent.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves opposite to alternate, well spaced except at the base of new shoots; petiole 3–15 mm. long; lamina elliptic-oblong to ovate, 3–10 cm. long, 1.2–6 cm. wide, cuneate, rounded or cordate at the base, glabrous to subdensely stellate-pubescent, glabrescent, with 4–8 pairs of lateral nerves.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Heads 1–several in axils or at nodes below, 2–6-flowered; peduncle 0–18 mm. long; bract broadly ovate, concave, 2–5 mm. long, sometimes with a leafy limb and up to 15 mm. long, stellate-pubescent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Receptacle

Receptacle 1–1.5 mm. long, long-hairy.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx tubular, 2.5–6 mm. long, thinly to densely silky villous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla 3–5(–5.5) cm. long, pale often yellowish green, generally flushed orange to pink on the tube above the basal swelling, usually densely silky villous, the long whitish, cream or sometimes reddish hairs masking the constriction, but sometimes (especially in coastal plants) long hairs rather sparse on the basal part of the then notably waisted tube; basal swelling 3–7 mm. long; constriction 3–6 mm. long; funnel-shaped upper tube 4–12 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Berry orange to bright red, 10–15 mm. long including the calyx, pilose; seed red.

Figures

Fig. 17/1–4.

Habitat

Widely distributed from forest edges to woodland, bushland, wooded grassland and disturbed places, on many different hosts; 0–2650 m.

Distribution

K1 K2 K3 K4 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T5 T6 T7 T8 U1 eastern Africa from N. Ethiopia south to the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, extending westwards to S. Angola

Flora Zambesiaca. Vol. 9, Part 3. Polygonaceae-Myriaceae. Pope GV, Polhill RM, Martins ES. 2006.

Type

Type from South Africa.

Morphology Stem

Stems spreading to pendent, well branched, to 1.5 m or so; twigs tomentellous with white to fulvous stellate and shortly dendritic hairs, glabrescent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Heads 1–several in axils or at nodes below, 2–6-flowered; peduncle 0–18 mm long; bract 2–5 mm long, broadly ovate, concave, sometimes with a leafy limb and then up to 15 mm long, stellate pubescent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Berry orange to bright red, 10–15 mm long including calyx, pilose; seed red. Berry orange to bright red, 10–15 mm long including calyx, pilose; seed red.

Ecology

Extending from coastal associations and riverine communities up to higher altitude miombo woodland and forest edges; 0–2000 m; on a wide variety of hosts and notably polymorphic, flowering mainly during the rains where the seasons are marked but often prolonged into the dry season.

Note

These differences extend to the Flora Zambesiaca area. The upland race occurs on the Mozambique-Zimbabwe border mountains and sporadically north to the mountainous flanks of northern Malawi. The lowland race extends up through Mozambique mostly near the coast (var. roseus; forma obtusifolius). The species seems to be relatively uncommon in miombo woodland of the plateaux where it is largely replaced by E. taborense. The scattered populations seem to be exceptionally variable in leaf-shape and indumentum (L. hirsutiflorus; L. dregei var. nyasicus). Most are to be found in the main drainage systems or in higher rainfall areas. In the Darwendale area of northern Zimbabwe, Sonja Vermeulen found the species to parasitize the dominant species of the woodland, Brachystegia spiciformis and Julbernardia paniculata, and no others (S. J. Vermeulen, Distribution of Mistletoes in a Patchy Habitat, Ph.D. Thesis, University of London, 1999). Herbarium records for most of the plateau areas of Zimbabwe indicate the same host genera. The species is clearly prone to develop local physiological races as well as being closely related to several other species in slightly different habitats (note particularly E. taborense and E. ngamicum). The South African plants may be divided broadly into two races (Sprague, 1915; Wiens & Tölken, 1979), with some intergradation apparent especially around the northern Drakensberg. The lowland plants, growing below 600 m, have leaves (1.7)2–3 times as long as broad, cuneate to slightly cordate at the base and glabrescent. The plants above 600 m have leaves only 1.2–1.7 times as long as broad, distinctly cordate, and rather persistently hairy at least beneath. The upland form tends to have more fulvous hairs, the corolla hairs are often denser and the corolla tube often appears more yellow or green than orange to pink. The name Loranthus dregei var. subcurvifolius Engl. is mentioned by Engler in Schinz, Pl. Menyharth.: 409 (1905). Sprague in F.T.A. 6, 1: 312 (1910) has interpreted this as just a mistake for forma subcuneifolius Engl. There is an observation about the curved flowers, but Sprague does not regard this as a validating description. If accepted as a valid name then it makes var. subcuneifolius (Engl.) Sprague superfluous. Gomes e Sousa (1936) reiterates E. dregei var. subcurvifolius Engl., with the same floral characteristics. The specimen, Menyharth 509, from Tete Province of Mozambique, has not been seen.

Distribution

ZAM W, ZAM C, ZIM N, ZIM W, ZIM C, ZIM E, ZIM S, MAL N, MAL C, MAL S, MOZ N, MOZ MS, MOZ GI, MOZ M Zambia In eastern Africa from northern Ethiopia south to the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, extending westwards to southern Angola. Extending from coastal associations and riverine communities up to higher altitude miombo woodland and forest edges; 0–200 Mozambique Malawi Zimbabwe

Morphology General Habit

Stems spreading to pendent, well branched, to 1.5 m or so; twigs tomentellous with white to fulvous stellate and shortly dendritic hairs, glabrescent.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves opposite to alternate, well spaced except at base of new shoots; petiole 3–15 mm long; lamina 3–10 × 1.2–6 cm, elliptic-oblong to ovate, cuneate, rounded or cordate at base, glabrous to subdensely stellate pubescent, glabrescent, with 4–8 pairs of lateral nerves. Leaves opposite to alternate, well spaced except at base of new shoots; petiole 3–15 mm long; lamina 3–10 × 1.2–6 cm, elliptic.oblong to ovate, cuneate, rounded or cordate at base, glabrous to subdensely stellate pubescent, glabrescent, with 4–8 pairs of lateral nerves

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Heads 1–several in axils or at nodes below, 2–6-flowered; peduncle 0–18 mm long; bract 2–5 mm long, broadly ovate, concave, sometimes with a leafy limb and then up to 15 mm long, stellate pubescent.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Receptacle

Receptacle 1–1.5 mm long, long hairy. Receptacle 1–1.5 mm long, long hairy; calyx 2.5–6 mm long, tubular, thinly to densely silky villous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx 2.5–6 mm long, tubular, thinly to densely silky villous.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla 3–5(5.5) cm long, pale often yellowish-green, generally flushed orange to pink on the tube above the basal swelling, usually densely silky villous, the long whitish, cream or sometimes reddish hairs masking the constriction, but sometimes (especially coastal plants) long hairs rather sparse on basal part of the then notably waisted tube; basal swelling 3–7 mm long; constriction 3–6 mm long; funnel shaped upper tube 4–12 mm long. Corolla 3–5(5.5) cm long, pale often yellowish-green, generally flushed orange to pink on the tube above the basal swelling, usually densely silky villous, the long whitish, cream or sometimes reddish hairs masking the constriction, but sometimes (especially coastal plants) long hairs rather sparse on basal part of the then notably waisted tube; basal swelling 3–7 mm long; constriction 3–6 mm long; funnel shaped upper tube 4–12 mm long

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation

Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident