Budu / Jointed Mistletoe
Viscum articulatum
- Habit
- Parasite
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh & more
How to identify Budu
Identify Budu 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: Distinctly jointed flattened green stems.
- Confirm leaf type: Leafless jointed green stems.
- Confirm leaf surface: Glabrous (smooth, hairless).
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Loranthaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Budu.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Viscum articulatum
- Genus
- Viscum
- Family
- Loranthaceae
- Habit
- Parasite
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Himalayas, Myanmar, China, Malaysia, Australia
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Sikkim
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- Leafless jointed green stemsrecorded
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Budu 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
- Hindi
- बुदू Budu, पुदू Pudu, Hurchu
- Bengali
- Mandala
- Kannada
- ಗಿಡಭಕ್ಷ Gidabhaksha
- Marathi
- बंदा Banda
About Budu
Jointed Mistletoe (Viscum articulatum) is a parasitic plant in the Loranthaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and 9 other states.
Loranthaceae
Mistletoe Family
Budu belongs to the Loranthaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Loranthaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Budu or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
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