Viscum japonicum Thunberg, Trans. Linn. Soc. London 2: 329. 1794; Bifaria davidiana Tieghem; B. fasciculata Tieghem; B. japonica (Thunberg) Tieghem; B. opuntia Merrill, nom. illeg. superfl.; Korthalsella fasciculata (Tieghem) Lecomte; K. japonica var. fasciculata (Tieghem) H. S. Kiu; K. moniliformis (Wight & Arnott) Lecomte; K. opuntia Merrill, nom. illeg. superfl.; K. opuntia var. fasciculata (Tieghem) Danser; Pseudixus japonicus (Thunberg) Hayata; Viscum moniliforme Wight & Arnott (1834), not Blume (1826); V. opuntia Thunberg, nom. illeg. superfl.

Plants green, 5-15 cm tall. Branches usually opposite; stem internodes narrowly obovate or oblanceolate-obovate, 7-17 × (2-)3-6 mm, longitudinally 1-ribbed when dried. Leaves fused into a ring. Inflorescence lateral at node. Male flower greenish, subglobose in bud, ca. 0.5 mm; perianth lobes triangular. Synadrium spheric. Female flower ellipsoid or ovoid in bud, 5-7 mm; perianth lobes triangular, minute. Berry yellowish, ca. 2 × 1.5 mm. Fl. and fr. Jan-Dec.

The plants are parasitic on Adinandra millettii, Camellia caudata, C. oleifera, C. sinensis var. assamica, Carpinus turczaninowii, Quercus baronii, Q. setulosa, Syzygium buxifolium, Tutcheria spectabilis, and species of Ilex, Rhododendron, Symplocos, and Lauraceae.

This species has often been confused with the more widespread Korthalsella taenioides (Commerson ex Candolle) Engler, which differs by having internodes with eight or more longitudinal veins. The Chinese material belongs to f. japonica. The form f. rubra (Tieghem) Molvray, a rather larger plant, commonly more than 15 cm tall with segments more than 10 mm, was first described from Australia and has been recorded from N India and Japan; it could occur in the Flora area. A third form with almost terete segments, f. grayi (Barlow) Molvray, is restricted to Australia.

Forests, scrub, mountain slopes, valleys, islands; 100-700(-2500) m. Fujian, S Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, S Shaanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang (Bomi), Yunnan, Zhejiang [Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam; E Africa (and Madagascar), Australia, Indian Ocean Islands].