Taxillus levinei (Merr.) H. S. Kiu

The plants have medicinal uses. Recorded hosts include Camellia oleifera, Castanea mollissima, Castanopsis kawakamii, Cinnamomum camphora, and Quercus championii, and rarely Cunninghamia lanceolata.

Shrubs 0.5-2 m tall, young stems, abaxial leaf surface, petiole, inflorescences, peduncles, and corollas tomentose, hairs rusty red, rarely brown, densely verticillate. Branches grayish brown or dark brown, glabrous, scattered lenticellate. Leaves alternate or subopposite; petiole 6-12(-15) mm; leaf blade greenish yellow or brownish when dried, ovate, rarely elliptic or oblong, 4-10 × 1.5-4.5 cm, leathery, abaxial surface persistently tomentose, hairs mostly stellate, paler than on stems and inflorescences, adaxial surface rapidly glabrescent, lateral veins 4-6 pairs, adaxially prominent, base subrounded, apex obtuse, rarely acute. Umbels solitary or 2 together, sometimes at leaf-less nodes, (1 or)2(or 3)-flowered; peduncle 2.5-5 mm; bracts triangular, 0.5-1 mm. Pedicel 1-2 mm. Calyx ovoid, ca. 2 mm, limb annular. Mature bud (1.8-)2-2.2 cm, tip ovoid. Corolla red, slightly curved, tube inflated, lobes spatulate, 5-7 mm, reflexed. Filaments 2.5-3 mm; anthers 1.5-2 mm. Stigma capitate. Berry yellow, ovoid, ca. 6 × 4 mm, granulose, stellate hairy. Fl. Sep-Dec, fr. Apr-May.

Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, SE Yunnan, Zhejiang.

* Forests, mountain slopes, valleys, orchards; 200-700(-1200) m.

Loranthus levinei Merrill, Philipp. J. Sci. 15: 233. 1920 [“1919”]; Scurrula levinei (Merrill) Danser; Taxillus rutilus Danser.