• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.268-275
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• 2012

This study was carried out to understand the anatomical characteristics of Korean mistletoe (Viscum album var. coloratum) and host tree of Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica) by the aid of light and scanning electron microscopy. The branch diameter of host tree at the parasitic part by mistletoe is larger than that of non-parasitic part. In the mistletoe, phloem consists of bast fiber and parenchyma cell and xylem is composed of fiber, ray and axial parenchyma cell, and vascular tracheid. The volume of ray parenchyma cell is higher than common wood species and is heterocellular made up of procumbent, upright, and square cells in the mistletoe. In the vascular tracheid of mistletoe, coarse spiral thickenings and bordered pit are present. Due to the insertion of the mistletoe haustorium, some deformed vessels but no tylosis are observed in the mistletoe. The shapes of mistletoe haustorium are sharp, and the destruction of the host tree cells due to the insertion of the mistletoe haustorium are not identified.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.287-292
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• 2009

Recently, the consumption of mistletoe[Viscum album var. coloratum(Kom.) Ohwi] is increasing because of its good medical effectiveness with the increased concern on the natural medicines and foods. The result obtained from the investigation on the stem tissues of the mistletoe and the oriental chestnut oak, a host plant species, are as follows. Haustorium from the seeds of the mistletoe after their sticking to the branches of the host plant penetrates into the bark where it forms the endophyte system through the active cell division. The endophyte grown in the cambium of the host plant makes the stems and leaves as the outer tissues in a certain time. Even through lignification of the host wood in the branches the oriental chestnut oak was not progressive, its tylosis coas developed partially assembly due to the formation of the endophyte. The stems of the mistletoe consisted of vascular tracheid, selereid, and ray and axial parenchyma, classified as a hardwood without vessels. The vascular tracheids seemed to take a role instead of the vessels in the mistletoe plant from the result that the pits of the vessels in the host branches are linked to the vessel-form tracheid in the mistletoe stems. The constituent ratio of the sclereid cells in the mistletoe stems increased with aging. Furthermore their ratio of the parenchyma cells was higher, which contained the more cell content, compared with the cells of the general woody plant species.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.4-11
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• 2009

Anatomical features of both leaves and stems of the four mistletoes in Korea (Viscum album var. coloratum, Korthalsella japonica, Loranthus yadoriki, L. tanaka) and of their secondary haustorial structure within several host plants were investigated. Among the four mistletoes, there were diagnostic characters of the anatomy of leaves and stems which enabled us to distinguish the four taxa. Leaves were observed to have three distinct characters including unifacial or bifacial leaves, the number of vascular bundles in the midveins, and the level of development of sclerenchyma cells. There were four diagnostic characters of stems: overall morphology of stems in transverse view, degree of cuticle development, arrangement of vascular bundles, and features of the sclerenchyma and pith. In order to determine secondary haustorial traits, the research focused on the seven host plants of L. yadoriki and on the five host plants of K. japonica. The following features were found to be important: presence or absence of an aerial runner root, the shape of the haustorial strand and flange, the degree of penetration into host tissues, and their development of shaft in transverse view, the development both of secondary haustorial cells and short tracheid in hyphae. Korthalsella japonica and L. yadorki were clearly distinguished by these characters. The secondary haustorial forms in each host were somewhat different, due to varying degrees of development in the strength of the host plants' wood. However, qualitative characters like the final position of the secondary haustorial penetration into host tissues and the development of short tracheid cells were not only affected by the degree of development of the host plants, but also useful for the systematic study.