A singular tree, “with very bright flowers” (Welwitsch), when young parasitical after the fashion of Viscum album, Linn., growing on Adansonia, when adult throwing out its own roots close to the trunk of its host and becoming a tree, embracing with the lower flattened reticulate part of its trunk that of its host and somewhat confluent with its surface, but above separated from it and forming a cylindrical trunk; head dense, with its branches and glossy leaves emulating the form of its host; bark from whitish to grey, like that of the Adansonia. Leaves narrowly oblong-oblanceolate, gradually subacutely or obtusely acuminate, gradually narrowed to a broadly obtuse base, 1 3/4–5 1/2 in. long, 3/4–1 1/4 in. broad, entire, thinly chartaceous or submembranous, glabrous and dull on both surfaces, often darker coloured above; midrib often slightly impressed above, prominent below, about 1/2 lin. broad near the base, becoming very slender towards the apex; lateral nerves about 15 on each side of the midrib, arising from the latter almost at right angles, distinct on both surfaces, slightly prominent below, looped near the margin; veins slender, distinct but not prominent below, rather close; petiole 1/3–1 in. long, channelled above, glabrous; stipules often persistent on the young leafy sterile shoots, caducous on the flowering ones, linear-lanceolate, acute, about 2/3 in. long, submembranous, striate, glabrous, brown when dry. Receptacles axillary or in the axils of fallen leaves, usually two together, crowded, pedunculate, globose, resembling very small peas, 2–2 1/2 lin. in diam., glabrous; peduncle rather slender, 1 1/2–3 lin. long, very minutely puberulous. Basal bracts 3, connate at the base, broadly ovate, rounded at the apex, coriaceous, glabrous or nearly so, at length falling off and leaving an orbicular plate closely appressed to the receptacle. Ostiole small, not at all prominent; bracts few and small, all descending into the receptacle. Male flowers subsessile; perianth-segments obovate, membranous, glabrous. Anther solitary, subsessile. Female flowers sessile; perianth short. Achene subglobose, smooth; style shorter than the achene, with a large oblong stigma.
