Uppilu / Hairy Mistletoe
Taxillus tomentosus
- Habit
- Parasite
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka
- Flowering
- December-January
How to identify Uppilu
Identify Uppilu by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a parasite habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Densely woolly leaves and stems.
- Confirm leaf type: Normal leafy shrub.
- Confirm leaf surface: Tomentose (woolly, matted hairs).
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: December-January.
- In India, compare location records such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka.
- Confirm it sits within the Loranthaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Uppilu.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Taxillus tomentosus
- Genus
- Taxillus
- Family
- Loranthaceae
- Habit
- Parasite
- Habitat
- Evergreen, moist deciduous and shola forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka
- Flowering & fruiting
- December-January
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- Normal leafy shrubrecorded
- Leaf surface
- Tomentose (woolly, matted hairs)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Uppilu itself; the rest are typical of the Loranthaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Spike
- Fruit
- Berry
Typical of the Loranthaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Kannada
- ಉಪ್ಪಿಲು uppilu
About Uppilu
Hairy Mistletoe (Taxillus tomentosus) is a parasitic plant in the Loranthaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. It grows in evergreen, moist deciduous and shola forests. Flowering and fruiting run from December to January.
Loranthaceae
Mistletoe Family
Uppilu belongs to the Loranthaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Loranthaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides