Mistletoes are partial parasites, that is they derive their water and nutrients from the host tree to its detriment, but their green leaves carry out photosynthesis, as do all green plants, to produce additional foods. Rainforest Mistletoe has been difficult to distinguish from some other species, considered Dendrophthoe falcata and Dendrophthoe longiflora. Rainforest Mistletoe has elliptic leaves with red flowers borne in 5-10 flowered racemes. Flowers in bud, are 3-4.8 cm long, uniformly widened upwards, slightly narrowed to a neck and somewhat club-shaped. Flower-tube in the open flower is 1.8-3 cm long and the petals reflexed 4-6 mm higher, curved, more deeply split on one side.