Japan Flora: Tufted, glabrous, green, parasitic shrub, the branches 30-60 cm. long, dichotomously or trichot- omously branched, terete, rather thick, jointed at nodes; leaves thick, dull, opposite, oblanceolate, 3-6 cm. long, 6^12 mm. wide, 3- to 5-nerved, rounded to obtuse, deep green on both sides, sessile; flowers terminal on the branch lets, sessile, small, yellow, the bracteoles cup-shaped, the perianth campanulate, 4- lobed; stigma sessile; fruit globose, pale yellow, semitrans- lucent, about 6 mm. across, the perianth lobes and style persistent. Feb.-Mar. Parasitic on deciduous trees;

Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu; common. China, Korea, and Manchuria. A variable widely distributed species from w. Europe to nw. Asia.

f. rubroaurantiacum (Makino) Ohwi. A rare phase with orange-red fruit.