Kumari Meenua and Kiran Shuklaa*
aDeptt. of Botany, GSCW, Jamshedpur, Kolhan University, Chaibasa, Jharkhand
Received : 15nd April, 2015; Revised : 17th May, 2015
Abstract : Mistletoes are obligate hemi-parasites belonging to the family Loranthaceae and Viscaceae. They have developed haustoria to establish parasitic connections with different families of angiosperms called host which fulfill their need of water and nutrient. In Jharkhand, a lot of floristic study was carried out previously but not specialized to the mistletoes. Therefore, present study aimed to collect and enumerate the diversity and indigenous uses of mistletoes in Jharkhand. This exploration trip resulted with a total of 8 species belonging to 4 genera (Dendropthoe, Macrosolen, Scurrula and Viscum). A total of 59 dicotyledons species are recorded as hosts of different parasitic angiosperms. The highest number of host plants recorded for Dendrophthoe falcata and the lowest numbers of host plants are recorded for Scurrula cordifolia, and Viscum orientale.
Be First to Comment