油杉寄生 you shan ji sheng

Plants yellowish green or green, 2-8(-12) cm tall. Branches opposite, rarely 3-4(-6)-verticillate; internodes 3-7(-10) mm, base of dominant shoots 1-2 mm in diam. Scale leaves ca. 0.5 mm. Flowers axillary or terminal. Male flower yellow, subglobose in bud, ca. 1 mm, ca. 2 mm in diam. at flowering, with cupular bract; perianth lobes 4, subtriangular, ca. 1.5 mm in diam. Anthers circular, ca. 0.5 mm. Female flower greenish, subglobose in bud, ca. 1 mm; perianth tube ca. 0.8 mm. Style red. Fruiting pedicel 1-1.5 mm. Berry ovoid, 4-6 × 3-4 mm, basal portion glaucous or yellowish green. Fl. Jul-Nov, fr. Oct-Nov next year.

* Coniferous or mixed forests, mountain slopes; 1500-3600 m. Qinghai, SW Sichuan, NW and C Yunnan.

The plants are parasitic on Keteleeria evelyniana and Picea likiangensis.