Phthirusa pyrifolia
(Kunth) Eichler
Loranthaceae
Loranthus affinis Mart. ex Schult. f.
Loranthus hoffmannseggianus Schult. f.
Loranthus pyrifolius Kunth
Loranthus subcampestris Mart. ex Schult. f.
Passovia pyrifolia (Kunth) Tiegh.
Phoradendron gentlei Trel.
Phthirusa heterophylla Rusby
Phthirusa platyclada Ule
Struthanthus minutiflorus Lundell
Struthanthus platycladus (Ule) Baehni & J.F. Macbr.
Struthanthus pyrifolius (Kunth) G. Don
Common Name:
General Information
Phthirusa pyrifolia is a hemiparasitic shrub growing about 1 metre tall in the branches of trees and shrubs.
The plant has been suggested as a potential source of rubber.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
315- Title
- Flora of Barro Colorado Island
- Publication
-
- Author
- Croat. Thomas B.
- Website
- http://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/bioinformatics/croat/home
- Publisher
- Stanford University Press
- Year
- 1978
- ISBN
- 0-8047-0950-5
- Description
- A very good flora of an area in Panama. Written some years ago, so some of the names have been changed. The book is out of print, but the whole flora is now available on the web.
,
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 - Brazil, Bolivia and Peru, north to the Caribbean and through Central America to Belize.
Habitat
Hemiparasitic on tree branches in evergreen and partly deciduous forest formations at elevations from sea level to about 1,200 metres[
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.
].
Properties
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Shrub |
| Height | 1.00 m |
| Self-fertile | Yes |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Plants can flower and fruit all year round[
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.
].
Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal
The leaves are used to treat malaria, sprains and thrush[
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[
46- 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 -
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
