桑寄生科 包括75属大约1,000余种，基本都是寄生或半寄生灌木，只有三种是独立生长在地上的树—澳洲圣诞树，Atkinsonia ligustrina（一种生长在澳洲蓝山地区的稀有灌木）和Gaiadendron punctatum（一种生长在中南美洲的植物）。

本科植物主要分布在南半球的热带和亚热带地区，中国只有两属共30余种，主要生长在木本植物的茎上，由变态的吸根伸入寄主植物的枝桠中；叶厚、革质；花两性或单性，花瓣和雄蕊同数对生；果实为浆果，依靠鸟类传播。主要寄生在桑树、槐树等树木上。

The Loranthaceae are a family of flowering plants. It consists of about 75 genera and 1,000 species of woody plants, many of them hemiparasites, all of them except three having the mistletoe habit. The three terrestrial species are Nuytsia floribunda – the Western Australian Christmas tree, Atkinsonia ligustrina – a rare shrub of the Blue Mountains of Australia, and the Central to South American species Gaiadendron punctatum.