''Anthobolus '' is a genus of

flowering A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

shrubs in the sandalwood family,

Santalaceae The Santalaceae, sandalwoods, are a widely distributed family of flowering plants (including small trees, shrubs, perennial herbs, and epiphytic climbersHewson & George t al.br>''Santalaceae'' taxonomy, 1984, pp. 191-194.) which, like other memb ...

. The genus comprises 3 species, all endemic to Australia. They are

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproducti ...

, with male and female flowers on separate plants. They are semi-

parasitic Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...

, requiring the roots of a host tree, a trait they share with many other members of the Santalaceae. The cladistics of this genus is controversial. It has traditionally been included within the Santalaceae, however genetic analyses have led some authors to include it within the

Opiliaceae Opiliaceae is a family of flowering plants comprising 11 genera and 33 known species. It consists of tropical woody plants. Several genera contain parasitic species. The biggest genus, in number of species and in stature of the individual plant ...

, a move that has been disputed by later authors due to a lack of any shared characteristics with the other members of the Opiliaceae.

''Anthobolus ''species

* '' Anthobolus erythrocaulis'' * '' Anthobolus foveolatus'' * '' Anthobolus filifolius'' * '' Anthobolus leptomerioides''

References

External Links

Records of Anthobolus
on the

Atlas of Living Australia The Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) is an online repository of information about Australian plants, animals, and fungi. Development started in 2006. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an organisation sig ...

Santalales genera Opiliaceae Flora of Australia Dioecious plants {{Santalales-stub