Tristerix aphyllus

Description

Tristerix aphyllus is a holoparasitic plant species of the genus Tristerix in the Loranthaceae family. It is endemic to Chile. T. aphyllus is sometimes called the "cactus mistletoe." It should not be confused with the mistletoe cactus, which is an epiphytic cactus, and not a mistletoe. The mistletoe, Tristerix aphyllus, parasitizes two species of cactus, Echinopsis chiloensis and Eulychnia acida, and in its adult form shows only its flowers and its fruits, bursting forth spectacularly from the columnar cacti which are its hosts. Mauseth (2011) discusses the morphological/anatomical effects of T. aphyllus on the cactus, Echinopsis chiloensis.