Viscum minimum 8-9 millimeters, emerges from these stems. The leaves and stems are capable of photosynthesis, making the plant technically a hemiparasite. The "Viscum minimum" mitochondrial genome has been sequenced, showing an unusual loss of genes or their functions. Viscum minimum Viscum minimum is a species of mistletoe in the family Santalaceae. It is a parasitic plant native to South Africa. In its native habitat "Viscum minimum" uses two species of succulents, "Euphorbia polygona" and "Euphorbia horrida", as host plants. However, given the opportunity, the plant uses a range of succulents, including cacti, as hosts. A mature "Viscum minimum" consists mostly of
Viscum nudum"), but with the plant drawing its mineral and water needs from the host tree. Different species of "Viscum" tend to use different host species; most species are able to use several different host species. The flowers are inconspicuous, greenish-yellow, diameter. The fruit is a berry, white, yellow, orange, or red when mature, containing one or more seeds embedded in very sticky juice; the seeds are dispersed when birds (notably the mistle thrush) eat the fruit, and remove the sticky seeds from the bill by wiping them on tree branches where they can germinate. "Viscum" species are poisonous to humans;