My mahogany trees, continued

And here's our parasitic friend, erva de passarinho (bird's herb), having dinner at the expense of a tree next to the Bosque reception center. Note the root system of the plant on the branch of the tree. The genus is Phoradendron and it sports many species. As it matures, it produces fruit that is a favorite for many birds, including the social flycatchers, which nest in the Pau Brasil trees next to the center. They guarantee that every tree around the building gets a present of feces with the seeds of the plant.