Amyema quandang

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Amyema quandang
Amyema quandang.JPG
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Santalales
Family: Loranthaceae
Genus: Amyema
Species:
A. quandang
Binomial name
Amyema quandang
Varieties

A. quandang var. quandang [2]
A. quandang var. bancroftii (Bailey) Barlow [3]

Contents

Amyemaquandang.png
Collections data for A. quandang from the Australasian Virtual Herbarium

Amyema quandang is a species of hemi-parasitic shrub which is widespread throughout the mainland of Australia, especially arid inland regions, sometimes referred to as the grey mistletoe. [4]

Description

An aerial shrub, without conventional roots, which attaches to the stems of species of Acacia . The leaves are leathery and greyish, and lanceolate to broadly ovate. [1] Flowers are red, green and grey and appear sometime between April and October. The fruit is a fleshy drupe, between 6 and 10 millimetres long, which contains an oily seed. [5]

Ecology

The plant has a hemi-parasitic relationship with Acacia, it is recorded on: A. aneura , A. cambagei , A. papyrocarpa , A. omalophylla and A. dealbata . [1]

Two species of birds are noted for their interdependence, or mutualism, where they occur with A. quandang in the arid interior of Australia. Nectar from the species provides an important part of the diet of spiny-cheeked honeyeaters Acanthagenys rufogularis, who assist in its pollination. The fruit is consumed by mistletoebirds, Dicaeum hirundinaceum, who disperse the seed; the year round availability of the fruit is ignored by other frugivores. [6]

The hybridisation of this species with Amyema pendula , rare amongst Loranthaceae, has produced first generation hybrids. [7]

Taxonomy

Amyema quandang is member of Santalales, the mistletoe order, placed within the family Loranthaceae. The first publication of the species was made in a note by John Lindley in 1838, [8] describing the plant noted by Thomas Mitchell as growing on Santalum acuminatum , another hemiparasite known as quandong.

May 9. We moved to the pond above-mentioned, named Yambarenga ... and in some places I observed the Quandang bushes,* having their branches covered with a parasitical plant whose bright crimson flowers were very ornamental.** [8]

(*Footnote. Fusanus acuminatus.)
— Lindley, Mitchell, 1838 [9]

The description in the genus Loranthus remained until Philippe Édouard Léon Van Tieghem transferred it to the genus Amyema in 1894. [10] [11] The genus name is derived from Greek for 'without' and 'to instruct'. [12]

Two varieties of the species are described, Amyema quandang var. quandang and Amyema quandang var. bancroftii (F.M.Bailey) Barlow, [13] the latter being found in Queensland and New South Wales. [3]

Host plants

The following host plants are known: [14]

List of host plants

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loranthaceae</span> Family of mistletoes

Loranthaceae, commonly known as the showy mistletoes, is a family of flowering plants. It consists of about 75 genera and 1,000 species of woody plants, many of them hemiparasites. The three terrestrial species are Nuytsia floribunda, Atkinsonia ligustrina, and Gaiadendron punctatum Loranthaceae are primarily xylem parasites, but their haustoria may sometimes tap the phloem, while Tristerix aphyllus is almost holoparasitic. For a more complete description of the Australian Loranthaceae, see Flora of Australia online., for the Malesian Loranthaceae see Flora of Malesia.

<i>Amyema</i> Genus of mistletoes

Amyema is a genus of semi-parasitic shrubs (mistletoes) which occur in Malesia and Australia.

<i>Amyema miquelii</i> Species of plant

Amyema miquelii, also known as box mistletoe, is a species of flowering plant, an epiphytic hemiparasitic plant of the family Loranthaceae, found attached to several species of Australian eucalypt and occasionally on some species of Acacia. It is the most widespread of the Australian Mistletoes, occurring mainly to the west of the Great Dividing Range. It has shiny leaves and red flowers arranged in groups of 3. It is distinguished from the similar Amyema pendula through the individual stalks of the flowers.

<i>Dendrophthoe vitellina</i> Species of mistletoe

Dendrophthoe vitellina, commonly known as long-flowered- or apostle mistletoe, is a hemiparasitic plant of the mistletoe family Loranthaceae. The genus Dendrophthoe comprises about 31 species spread across tropical Africa, Asia, and Australia. Despite being collected by Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander in 1788, and depicted in Banks' Florilegium, it was not until 1860 that it was described by Ferdinand von Mueller as Loranthus vitellinus after being collected near Ipswich, and renamed by Philippe Édouard Léon Van Tieghem in 1895.

<i>Amyema congener</i> Species of mistletoe

Amyema congener, commonly known as the variable mistletoe, is a species of flowering plant, an epiphytic hemiparasitic plant of the family Loranthaceae from eastern Australia. It is found on members of the genera Allocasuarina, Acacia and some exotic species.

<i>Dendrophthoe glabrescens</i> Species of mistletoe

Dendrophthoe glabrescens, commonly known as orange mistletoe, is a hemiparasitic plant of the mistletoe family Loranthaceae, found in eastern and northern Australia. It flowers from October to January. The flowers are tubular, with a green base, but where the tube splits open, it displays orange and bright red.

<i>Amyema pendula</i> Species of plant

Amyema pendula, also known as drooping mistletoe or furry drooping mistletoe, is a species of flowering plant, an epiphytic hemiparasitic plant of the family Loranthaceae, found attached to several species of Australian eucalypt and occasionally on some species of Acacia. It is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is the most common mistletoe in Victoria, especially on the coastal side of the Great Dividing Range. It has shiny leaves and red flowers arranged in groups of 3 or 4. It is distinguished from the similar Amyema miquelii through the lack of individual stalks on the flowers.

<i>Amyema benthamii</i> Species of epiphyte

Amyema benthamii, commonly known as the twin-leaved mistletoe or Bentham's mistletoe, is a species of flowering plant, an epiphytic hemiparasitic plant of the family Loranthaceae native to Western Australia and the Northern Territory of Australia in semi-arid woodland. This species is named in honour of the English botanist George Bentham who between 1863 and 1878 published Flora Australiensis, the first flora of Australia.

<i>Lysiana exocarpi</i> Species of mistletoe

Lysiana exocarpi, commonly known as harlequin mistletoe, is a species of hemiparasitic shrub, endemic to Australia. It is in the Gondwanan family Loranthaceae and is probably the most derived genus of that family with 12 pairs of chromosomes. The Loranthaceae is the most diverse family in the mistletoe group with over 900 species worldwide and including the best known species in Australia. Mistletoes are notable for their relationships with other species. In an early reference to the group in Australia Allan Cunningham explorer and first Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, wrote in 1817: "The Bastard Box is frequently much encumbered with the twining adhering Loranthus aurantiacus which 'Scorning the soil, aloft she springs, Shakes her red plumes and claps her golden wings'."

<i>Muellerina</i> (plant) Genus of mistletoes

Muellerina is a genus of parasitic aerial shrubs in the family Loranthaceae.

<i>Muellerina eucalyptoides</i> Species of plant

Muellerina eucalyptoides, commonly known as creeping mistletoe, is a hemiparasitic aerial shrub in the family Loranthaceae. The species is endemic to Australia.

<i>Tristerix aphyllus</i> Species of mistletoe

Tristerix aphyllus is a holoparasitic plant species of the genus Tristerix in the family Loranthaceae. It is endemic to Chile. T. aphyllus is sometimes called the "cactus mistletoe." It should not be confused with the mistletoe cactus, which is an epiphytic cactus, and not a mistletoe.

<i>Amyema bifurcata</i> Species of epiphyte

Amyema bifurcata is an epiphytic, flowering, hemiparasitic plant of the family Loranthaceae native to Australia and found in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales.

<i>Amyema mackayensis</i> Species of epiphyte

Amyema mackayensis, the mangrove mistletoe, is a species of flowering plant within the genus Amyema, an epiphytic hemiparasitic plant of the family Loranthaceae native to Australia, and found along its northern and eastern coasts in New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, and also in New Guinea.

<i>Amyema fitzgeraldii</i> Species of plant

Amyema fitzgeraldii, the pincushion mistletoe, is a species of flowering plant within the genus Amyema, an epiphytic hemiparasitic plant of the family Loranthaceae endemic to Australia, and found in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia.

<i>Amyema sanguinea</i> Species of mistletoe

Amyema sanguinea is an aerial hemiparasitic shrub within the genus Amyema, in the family Loranthaceae and native to Australia, where it is found in New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia.

<i>Amyema melaleucae</i> Species of plant

Amyema melaleucae, also known as the tea-tree mistletoe, is a species of flowering plant within the genus Amyema, an epiphytic hemiparasitic plant of the family Loranthaceae native to Australia and found in Western Australia and South Australia on the coast, from north of Perth almost to the Victorian border.

<i>Amylotheca</i> Genus of mistletoes

Amylotheca is a genus of hemi-parasitic aerial shrubs in the family Loranthaceae, found in Borneo, Malaysia, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Australia, Sumatra, Thailand, Vanuatu, and Philippines

Amyema plicatula is a species of hemi-parasitic shrub found in the Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, New South Wales and Queensland.

<i>Amyema miraculosa</i> Species of plant

Amyema miraculosa, also known as the fleshy mistletoe and the round-leaf mistletoe, is an Australian native mistletoe found in all states except Tasmania. It is a woody, hemiparasitic plant, in the Loranthaceae family. Being hemiparasitic, it draws water and minerals from its host, however it photosynthesises to manufacture its own supply of carbohydrates.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Amyema quandang (Lindl.) Tiegh". PlantNET - New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust.
  2. "Amyema quandang var. quandang (Lindl.) Tiegh". PlantNET - New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust.
  3. 1 2 "Amyema quandang var. bancroftii (Lindl.) Tiegh". PlantNET - New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust.
  4. "19 Mistletoe Amyema (various species)". Aboriginal Plant Use in South-Eastern Australia. Australian National Herbarium. Archived from the original on 25 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
  5. "Amyema quandang (Lindl.) Tiegh". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  6. Reid, Nick (July 28, 2006). "Mutualistic interdependence between mistletoes (Amyema quandang), and spiny-cheeked honeyeaters and mistletoebirds in an arid woodland". Austral Ecology. Ecological Society of Australia. 15 (2): 175–190. doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.1990.tb01526.x.
  7. DM Calder; FG Lennox; P Bernhardt (1982). "Natural hybridization between Amyema pendulum and Amyema quandang, Loranthaceae". Australian Journal of Botany . 30 (6): 625. doi:10.1071/BT9820625. ISSN   0067-1924. Wikidata   Q57405840.
  8. 1 2 [from Mitchell](**Footnote. Loranthus quandang, Lindley manuscripts; incanus, foliis oppositis lineari-oblongis obsolete triplinerviis obtusis, pedunculis axillaribus folio multo bevioribus apice divaricato-bifidis 6-floris, floribus pentameris aequalibus, petalis linearibus, antheris linearibus basi insertis. Next L. gaudichaudi.)
  9. Lindley, J (1838), Mitchell, T.L. (ed.), Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia, vol. 2, p. 69, Wikidata   Q6146213
  10. M. Ph. Van Tieghem (January 1894). "Sur Le Groupement Des Espèces En Genres Dans Les Loranthacées A Calice Dialysépale Et Anthéres Basifixes". Bulletin de la Société Botanique de France (in French). 41 (6): 507. doi:10.1080/00378941.1894.10831632. ISSN   0037-8941. Wikidata   Q54801450.
  11. "Amyema quandang (Lindl.) Tiegh". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
  12. "Amyema". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  13. Amyema quandang var. bancroftii (F.M.Bailey) Barlow. BA Barlow (1966). "A revision of the Loranthaceae of Australia and New Zealand". Australian Journal of Botany . 14 (3): 481, fig. 9 (map). doi:10.1071/BT9660421. ISSN   0067-1924. Wikidata   Q54801356.
  14. Paul Owen Downey (1998). "An inventory of host species for each aerial mistletoe species (Loranthaceae and Viscaceae) in Australia" (PDF). Cunninghamia. 5 (3): 685–720. ISSN   0727-9620. Wikidata   Q106567982.