Sunazuru - Sunazuru (English spelling) Love vine

Japanese: スナヅル - すなづる（英語表記）love vine

A parasitic vine of the Lauraceae family with herbaceous stems, it is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. It is particularly common on the coasts. The stems are yellow-green, yellow-brown or brown, string-like, 1-2 mm in diameter, and branch out well. It parasitizes trees and grasses by extruding small haustoria, covering the host like a tangled string. It obtains much of its nutrients from the host through the haustoria, but also has chloroplasts and performs photosynthesis. The leaves are small, degenerate scales, sparsely alternate on the stem, and at first glance appear to be leafless. The inflorescence is a spike 2-5 cm long that grows in the axils of the scale leaves and bears several to a dozen pale yellow florets, which open in order from the bottom up.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

草質の茎をもったクスノキ科の寄生性つる植物で，世界の熱帯から亜熱帯に広く分布する。とくに海岸に多い。茎は黄緑色，黄褐色または褐色，径1～2mmのひも状で，よく分枝する。小さい吸器を出して木や草に寄生し，もつれたひものように寄主をおおう。吸器を通じて多くの栄養を寄主から得るが，葉緑体をもち，光合成も行う。葉は小さく退化した鱗片状で，茎に疎に互生し，一見，無葉にみえる。花序は長さ2～5cmの穂状で，鱗片葉の葉腋（ようえき）に生じ，数個～十数個の淡黄色の小花をつけ，花序の下方の花から順に開く。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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