Scurrula
Content
Description
Aerial stem-parasitic shrubs, more or less clothed in a tomentum of stellate and dendritic hairs, slender to moderately robust, with epicortical runners bearing secondary haustoria.
Leaves opposite, different above and below (especially with respect to indumentum).
Inflorescence a simple 3- to 10-flowered raceme of decussate flowers, rarely 2-flowered and apparently umbellate; bract single under each flower, simple.
Fruit obovoid, club-like, distinctly stipitate.
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: Jawa (Jawa present), from India to Taiwan and Malesia present
About 20 species from India to Taiwan and Malesia. In Malesia 8 species, with a centre of richness and diversity in Java (7 species).
Ecology
In Malesia some species are aggressive, apparently with broad host ranges including cultivated trees. The hosts also include other Loranthaceae; such epi- parasitism is also common in other genera such as Amyema and Lysiana (Loranthaceae) and Viscum and Notothixos (Viscaceae), and probably results from a sharing of the bird dispersal agents.
Taxonomy
The genus is related to Dendrophthoe, differing in fruit structure and the small more strongly zygomorphic 4-merous flowers. For discussion of Afro-Asian origins, see Barlow (1990).
The genus is also closely related to, and difficult to delineate from, the sympatric genus Taxillus (see Barlow 1990). , has without discussion apparently proposed union of Scurrula and Taxillus, but he erroneously placed Scurrula (1753) in synonymy under Taxillus (1895).
The genus is also closely related to, and difficult to delineate from, the sympatric genus Taxillus (see Barlow 1990). , has without discussion apparently proposed union of Scurrula and Taxillus, but he erroneously placed Scurrula (1753) in synonymy under Taxillus (1895).