Showy Mistletoe
Plicosepalus (?)
Parasitic in a tree off Magadi Road near Olorgasailie, Kenya, Africa. December 2014.
These plants are attached directly to the branches of their host tree and a root system known as a haustorium penetrates into the xylem. Water and nutrients are drawn from the host, but this hemiparasite also has green, photosynthetic leaves to produce it's own carbohydrates. Some shoots erupting from the host plant stems bear only flowers making it appear that they belong to the host!
