''Amyema'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of semi-
parasitic shrubs (
mistletoe
Mistletoe is the common name for obligate parasite, obligate parasitic plant, hemiparasitic plants in the Order (biology), order Santalales. They are attached to their host tree or shrub by a structure called the haustorium, through which they ...
s) which occur in
Malesia
Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms. It is a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical kingdom. It was first recognized as a distinct region ...
and
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
.
Etymology
''Amyema'' derives from the Greek: ''a'' (negative), and ''myeo'' (I initiate), referring to the genus being previously unrecognised.
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Description
Hamilton & Barlow describe the haustorial structures of most Australian ''Amyemas'' as being ball-like, with some exceptions.
Species
There are approximately 90 species including the following:
* '' Amyema arthrocaulis'' Barlow
* '' Amyema artensis'' (Mont.) Dan. (indigenous to Upolu
Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is long and in area, making it the second largest of the Samoan Islands by area. With approximate ...
and Savai'i, known as ''tapuna''.)
* '' Amyema benthamii'' (Blakely) Danser
* '' Amyema betchei'' (Blakely) Danser
* '' Amyema bifurcata'' (Benth.) Tiegh.
* '' Amyema biniflora'' Barlow
* '' Amyema brassii'' Barlow
* '' Amyema brevipes'' (Tiegh.) Danser
* '' Amyema cambagei'' (Blakely) Danser
* ''Amyema congener
'' 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'', '' Aca ...
'' (Sieber ex Schult. & Schult.f.) Tiegh.
* '' Amyema conspicua'' (F.M.Bailey) Danser
* '' Amyema dolichopoda'' Barlow
* '' Amyema duurenii'' Barlow
* '' Amyema eburna'' (Barlow) Barlow
* '' Amyema fitzgeraldii'' (Blakely) Danser - pincushion mistletoe
* ''Amyema gaudichaudii
''Amyema gaudichaudii'', commonly known as melaleuca mistletoe, is a plant in the family Loranthaceae endemic to eastern Australia. Like other mistletoes, it is a shrubby, woody, aerial hemiparasite plant. It has relatively small, wedge-shaped l ...
'' (DC.) Tiegh.
* '' Amyema gibberula'' (Tate) Danser
* '' Amyema glabra'' (Domin) Danser
* '' Amyema haematodes'' (O.Schwarz) Danser
* '' Amyema herbertiana'' Barlow
* '' Amyema hilliana'' (Blakely) Danser
* '' Amyema linophylla'' (Fenzl) Tiegh.
* '' Amyema lisae'' Pelser & Barcelona
* '' Amyema lucasii'' (Blakely) Danser
* '' Amyema mackayensis'' (Blakely) Danser
* '' Amyema maidenii'' (Blakely) Barlow
* '' Amyema melaleucae'' (Lehm. ex Miq.) Tiegh.
* '' Amyema microphylla'' Barlow
* ''Amyema miquelii
''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. ...
'' (Lehm. ex Miq.) Tiegh. - stalked mistletoe
* '' Amyema miraculosa'' (Miq.) Tiegh.
* '' Amyema nestor'' (S.Moore) Danser
*'' Amyema nickrentii'' Barcelona & Pelser
* '' Amyema pendula'' (Sieber ex Spreng.) Tiegh. - drooping mistletoe
* '' Amyema plicatula'' (K.Krause) Danser
* '' Amyema preissii'' (Miq.) Tiegh. - wireleaf mistletoe
* ''Amyema quandang
''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.
Description
An aerial shrub, without conventional roo ...
'' (Lindl.) Tiegh.
* '' Amyema quaternifolia'' Barlow
* '' Amyema queenslandica'' (Blakely) Danser
* '' Amyema sanguinea'' (F.Muell.) Danser
* '' Amyema seemeniana'' (K.Schum.) Danser
* '' Amyema subcapitata'' Barlow
* '' Amyema tetraflora'' (Barlow) Barlow
* '' Amyema tetrapetala'' (Danser) Barlow
* '' Amyema thalassia'' Barlow
* '' Amyema tridactyla'' Barlow
* '' Amyema tristis'' (Zoll.) Tiegh.
* '' Amyema verticillata'' (Merr.) Danser
* '' Amyema villiflora'' (Domin) Barlow
* '' Amyema whitei'' (Blakely) Danser
Faunal associations
The mistletoebird
The mistletoebird (''Dicaeum hirundinaceum''), also known as the mistletoe flowerpecker, is a species of flowerpecker native to most of Australia (though absent from Tasmania and the driest desert areas) and also to the eastern Maluku Islands ...
is known to consume the fruit of ''Amyema quandang''Delias
''Delias'' is a genus of butterflies. There are about 250 species of the genus ''Delias'', found in South Asia and Australia. The genus is considered to have its evolutionary origins in the Australian region.Braby, M.F. and N.E. Pierce. 2006. Sy ...
'' often use various ''Amyema'' species as larval food plants. In doing so, the adults acquire a taste that is unpalatable to predators.
Uses
The fruit of ''Amyema'' species is high in protein, lipids, and carbohydrates, and was eaten by the Ngunnawal
The Ngunnawal people, also spelt Ngunawal, are an Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal people of southern New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory in Australia.
Language
Ngunnawal–Gundungurra language, Ngunnawal and Gundungurr ...
people.[Ngunnawal Elders & their families. 2014. Ngunnawal Plant Use, ACT Government, ]
References
External links
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q246382
Parasitic plants
Loranthaceae genera
Taxa named by Philippe Édouard Léon Van Tieghem
Plants described in 1895