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Osyris lanceolata
Santalaceae FAMILY

Osyris lanceolata

Osyris lanceolata

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

Young leaves are poisonous to goats[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
Growth—

The plant is found in a range of climates from warm temperate in Europe to higher elevations in the tropics of Africa and Asia. It is found at elevations up to 2,550 metres. The plant grows in areas where the mean annual temperature can range from 14 - 22°c, and the mean annual rainfall from 600 - 1,600mm[2]. Prefers a well-drained, humus-rich clay or loamy soil in the wild[2, 3]. A slow-growing tree, it requires the shade of nurse trees in the early phases of its life[2]. Plants can flower and produce fruit all year round[1, 2]. A very variable species, it usually bears both hermaphrodite and male flowers[4, 5].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe due to its lshort viability. Pre-treatment is not necessary, but making a nick in the base of the seed prior to sowing improves the germination rate, with 60% of the seed sprouting within 6 weeks[2]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Osyris+lanceolata>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Plants and People of Nepal — Manandhar. N. P. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 2002 · ISBN 0-88192-527-6 ↩︎Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.
  2. [2]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  3. [3]Edible Wild Plants of Tanzania — Ruffo, C.K.: Birnie, A. & Tengnas, B. · Regional Land Management Unit; Nairobi. · 2002 · ISBN 9966-896-60-0 ↩︎A very well presented, simple guide to growing and utilizing wild food plants in Tanzania, with line drawings of each plant, a description, habitat and range, non-food as well as food uses, plus basic information on growing the plants.
  4. [4]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
  5. [5]African Flowering Plants Database — Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques. · http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php ↩︎Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
  6. [6]Field Guide to the Moist Forest Trees of Tanzania. — Lovett J.C.; Ruffo C.K.; Gereau R.E.; Taplin J.R.D · Frontier · http://www.york.ac.uk/res/celp/webpages/projects/ecology/tree%20guide/introduction.htm · ISBN 1-873070-33-0 ↩︎A lovely little book giving a basic identification guide to more than 650 species of trees growing in Tanzania. It is also available to view on the internet.
  7. [7]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.