Phthirusa stelis

(L.) Kuijt

Loranthaceae

There seems to be a great deal of uncertainty over the corrrect name for this species with different authorities using a wide variety of names. We have followed the treatment given by Kujit in Novon Volume 6 (1996), where he treats it as one highly polymorphic species ranging from Costa Rica to southern Brazil. The species is also often known as Phthirusa retroflexa[

Title: Plants for a Future
Author: Ken Fern
Description: Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

473

Title: Novon Vol 6
Publication
Author: Various
Website: http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher: Missouri Botanical Garden; St. Louis.
Year: 1996
ISBN
Description: A journal of Botanical Nomenclature. It can be downloaded from the Internet.

+ Synonyms

Loranthus aduncus G. Mey.

Loranthus avicularius Mart.

Loranthus conduplicatus Kunth

Loranthus erythrocarpus Mart.

Loranthus magdalenae Cham. & Schltdl.

Loranthus orinocensis Spreng.

Loranthus paniculatus Kunth

Loranthus retroflexus Ruiz & Pav.

Loranthus stelis L.

Loranthus theobromae Willd. ex Schult. f.

Loranthus virgatus Mart.

Passovia erythrocarpa (Mart.) Tiegh.

Passovia magdalenae (Cham. & Schltdl.) Tiegh.

Passovia odorata H. Karst. ex Klotzsch

Passovia orinocensis (Spreng.) Tiegh.

Passovia suaveolens H. Karst.

Passovia theobromae (Willd. ex Schult. f.) Tiegh.

Phthirusa abdita S. Moore

Phthirusa adenostemon Eichler

Phthirusa adunca (G. Mey.) Maguire

Phthirusa anastyla Rizzini

Phthirusa angulata K. Krause

Phthirusa caucana Eichler

Phthirusa cochliostylus Ule

Phthirusa cothurnata Rizzini

Phthirusa elongate Gleason

Phthirusa erythocarpus (Mart.) Eichler

Phthirusa gonioclada A.C. Sm.

Phthirusa krukovii A.C. Sm.

Phthirusa magdalenae (Cham. & Schltdl.) Eichler

Phthirusa maritime Rizzini

Phthirusa orinocensis (Spreng.) Eichler in Martius

Phthirusa ovata (DC.) Eichler

Phthirusa paniculata (Kunth) J.F. Macbr.

Phthirusa papillosa Pilg.

Phthirusa perdivergens Rizzini

Phthirusa polystachya Eichler

Phthirusa punctata Gleason

Phthirusa pyramidalis Rizzini

Phthirusa retroflexa (Ruiz & Pav.) Kuijt

Phthirusa robusta Rusby

Phthirusa rubromicans Rizzini

Phthirusa seitzii Krug & Urb.

Phthirusa theobromae (Willd. ex Schult. f.) Eichler

Phthirusa tortuosa A.C. Sm.

Phthirusa virgata (Mart.) Eichler

Struthanthus polystachyus (Ruiz & Pav.) Blume

Struthanthus retroflexus (Ruiz & Pav.) Blume

Common Name:

Flowering and fruiting branches
Photograph by: Mauricio Mercadante

General Information

Phthirusa stelis is a small, hemiparasitic shrub growing in the branches of trees and shrubs.
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local medicinal use[

348

Title: Medicinal Plants of the Guianas
Publication
Author: DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J.
Website: http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html
Publisher: Smithsonian Museum
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region

]. It has been suggested as a potential source of rubber.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

369

Title: Flora of Costa Rica
Publication
Author: Standley P.C.
Website: http://www.archive.org/
Publisher: Field Museum of Natural History; Chicago
Year: 1938
ISBN
Description: Rather dated, but an excellent treatment of the area. Available for download from the internet.

Range

S. America - southern Brazil, north through S. America to Panama and Costa Rica in Central America.

Habitat

Parasitic on the branches of a wide range of evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs[

369

Title: Flora of Costa Rica
Publication
Author: Standley P.C.
Website: http://www.archive.org/
Publisher: Field Museum of Natural History; Chicago
Year: 1938
ISBN
Description: Rather dated, but an excellent treatment of the area. Available for download from the internet.

473

Title: Novon Vol 6
Publication
Author: Various
Website: http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher: Missouri Botanical Garden; St. Louis.
Year: 1996
ISBN
Description: A journal of Botanical Nomenclature. It can be downloaded from the Internet.

]. It seems equally at home in the crowns of undisturbed forest trees and on cultivated woody plants, where it often constitutes a serious pest[

473

Title: Novon Vol 6
Publication
Author: Various
Website: http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher: Missouri Botanical Garden; St. Louis.
Year: 1996
ISBN
Description: A journal of Botanical Nomenclature. It can be downloaded from the Internet.

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Shrub
Height	0.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the tropics, where it is found at elevations from near sea level to over 2,500 metres, but is most common at lower to middle elevations.

Within its native range, the plant can become a pest on cultivated trees and shrubs[

473

Title: Novon Vol 6
Publication
Author: Various
Website: http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher: Missouri Botanical Garden; St. Louis.
Year: 1996
ISBN
Description: A journal of Botanical Nomenclature. It can be downloaded from the Internet.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

A decoction of the aerial parts of the plant is taken with a pinch of salt to treat children's thrush and adult's leucorrhoea[

348

Title: Medicinal Plants of the Guianas
Publication
Author: DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J.
Website: http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html
Publisher: Smithsonian Museum
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region

].
The plant is boiled, together with Stachytarpheta jamaicensis and Cordia curassavica, and the liquid drunk to treat hypertension[

348

Title: Medicinal Plants of the Guianas
Publication
Author: DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J.
Website: http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html
Publisher: Smithsonian Museum
Year: 0
ISBN
Description: A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region

Other Uses

The plant has been suggested as a source of rubber[

Title: Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
Author: Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher: Weinheim
Year: 1959
ISBN: -
Description: An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

Propagation

Seed -

Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-04-26. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Phthirusa+stelis>

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