Amyema quandang
Encyclopedia
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.
. The leaves are leathery and greyish, and lanceolate to broadly ovate. 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, that contains an oily seed.
A. aneura, A. cambagei
, A. papyrocarpa, A. omalophylla and A. dealbata
.
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 honeyeater
s Acanthagenys rufogularis, who assist in its pollination. The fruit is consumed by mistletoebird
s, Dicaeum hirundinaceum, who disperse the seed; the year round availability of the fruit is ignored by other frugivores.
The hybridisation of this species with Amyema pendulum, rare amongst Loranthaceae, has produced first generation hybrids
.
, the mistletoe order, placed within the Loranthaceae
family.
The first publication of the species was made in a note by John Lindley
in 1838, describing the plant noted by Thomas Mitchell as growing on Santalum acuminatum
, another hemiparasite known as quandong
.
The description in the genus Loranthus
remained until Philippe Édouard Léon Van Tieghem transferred it to the genus Amyema
in 1894.
The genus name is derived from Greek for 'without' and 'to instruct'.
Two varieties of the species are described, Amyema quandang var. quandang and Amyema quandang var. bancroftii (F.M.Bailey) Barlow, the latter being found in Queensland
and New South Wales
.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of hemi-parasitic
Parasitic plant
A parasitic plant is one that derives some or all of its sustenance from another plant. About 4,100 species in approximately 19 families of flowering plants are known. Parasitic plants have a modified root, the haustorium, that penetrates the host plant and connects to the xylem, phloem, or...
shrub which is widespread throughout the mainland of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, especially arid inland regions, sometimes referred to as the grey mistletoe.
Description
An aerial shrub, without conventional roots, which attaches to the stems of species of AcaciaAcacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
. The leaves are leathery and greyish, and lanceolate to broadly ovate. Flowers are red, green and grey and appear sometime between April and October. The fruit is a fleshy drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
, between 6 and 10 millimetres long, that contains an oily seed.
Ecology
The plant has a hemi-parasitic relationship with Acacia, it is recorded on:A. aneura, A. cambagei
Acacia cambagei
Acacia cambagei, commonly known as Gidgee , Stinking wattle or Stinking gidgee is an endemic tree of Australia. It is found primarily in semi-arid and arid Queensland but extends into the Northern Territory, South Australia and north-western New South Wales. It can reach up to 12 meters in height...
, A. papyrocarpa, A. omalophylla and A. dealbata
Acacia dealbata
Acacia dealbata is a species of Acacia, native to southeastern Australia in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory.-Description:...
.
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 honeyeater
Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater
The Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater is the only species in the genus Acanthegenys. It is large, for a honeyeater, ranging from 22 to 27 centimeters and weighing around 52 grams...
s Acanthagenys rufogularis, who assist in its pollination. The fruit is consumed by mistletoebird
Mistletoebird
The Mistletoebird is a species of flowerpecker native to most of Australia , and also to the eastern Maluku Islands of Indonesia in the Arafura Sea between Australia and New Guinea. They also must live where there are trees and shrubs, so that they can build their nests...
s, Dicaeum hirundinaceum, who disperse the seed; the year round availability of the fruit is ignored by other frugivores.
The hybridisation of this species with Amyema pendulum, rare amongst Loranthaceae, has produced first generation hybrids
F1 hybrid
F1 hybrid is a term used in genetics and selective breeding. F1 stands for Filial 1, the first filial generation seeds/plants or animal offspring resulting from a cross mating of distinctly different parental types....
.
Taxonomy
A member of SantalalesSantalales
Santalales is an order of flowering plants with a cosmopolitan distribution, but heavily concentrated in tropical and subtropical regions.Most have seeds without a testa, which is unusual for flowering plants...
, the mistletoe order, placed within the Loranthaceae
Loranthaceae
Loranthaceae is a family of flowering plants, which has been universally recognized by taxonomists. It consists of about 75 genera and 1,000 species of woody plants, many of them hemi-parasites, all of them except three having the mistletoe habit...
family.
The first publication of the species was made in a note by John Lindley
John Lindley
John Lindley FRS was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist.-Early years:Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley was a nurseryman and pomologist and ran a commercial nursery garden...
in 1838, describing the plant noted by Thomas Mitchell as growing on Santalum acuminatum
Santalum acuminatum
Santalum acuminatum, the desert quandong, is a hemiparasitic plant in the Sandalwood family Santalaceae, widely dispersed throughout the central deserts and southern areas of Australia....
, another hemiparasite known as quandong
Quandong
Quandong, quandang or quondong, is a common name for the species Santalum acuminatum , especially its edible fruit, but may also refer to* Aceratium concinnum...
.
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.**
(*Footnote. Fusanus acuminatus.)
— Lindley, Mitchell, 1838
The description in the genus Loranthus
Loranthus
Loranthus is a genus of mostly parasitic plants that grow on the branches of woody trees. It belongs to the family Loranthaceae, the showy mistletoe family...
remained until Philippe Édouard Léon Van Tieghem transferred it to the genus Amyema
Amyema
Amyema is a genus of semi-parasitic shrubs which occur in Malesia and Australia.-Species:There are approximately 90 species including the following:* Amyema artensis Dan...
in 1894.
The genus name is derived from Greek for 'without' and 'to instruct'.
Two varieties of the species are described, Amyema quandang var. quandang and Amyema quandang var. bancroftii (F.M.Bailey) Barlow, the latter being found in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
.