''Amyema quandang'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of hemi-

parasitic Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The ent ...

shrub which is widespread throughout the mainland of

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 ...

, 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 ''

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...

''. 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 In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is a type of fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pip'' (UK), ''pit'' (US), ''stone'', or ''pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed ...

, between 6 and 10 millimetres long, which contains an oily seed.

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

Taxonomy

''Amyema quandang'' is member of

Santalales The Santalales are an order (biology), order of flowering plants in the dicotyledons. Well-known members of the Santalales include Santalum, sandalwoods and the many species of mistletoes. The order has a cosmopolitan distribution, but is heavily ...

, the mistletoe order, placed within the family

Loranthaceae 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'' (the ...

. The first publication of the species was made in a note by

John Lindley John Lindley Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidology, orchidologist. Early years Born in Old Catton, Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four c ...

in 1838, rom 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.) 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.**
(*Footnote. Fusanus acuminatus.)
— Lindley, Mitchell, 1838

The description in the genus ''

Loranthus ''Loranthus'' is a genus of parasitic plants that grow on the branches of woody trees. It belongs to the family Loranthaceae, the showy mistletoe family. In most earlier systematic treatments it contains all mistletoe species with bisexual flower ...

'' remained until

Philippe Édouard Léon Van Tieghem Philippe Édouard Léon Van Tieghem (; 19 April 1839 – 28 April 1914) was a French botanist born in Baillleul in the département of Nord. He was one of the best known French botanists of the latter nineteenth century. Life Van Tieghem's ...

transferred it to the genus '' Amyema'' in 1894. The genus name is derived from Greek for 'without' and 'to instruct'. Two

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

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 ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

and

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Host plants

The following host plants are known:

Apocynaceae Apocynaceae (, from '' Apocynum'', Greek for "dog-away") is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison. Notable mem ...

: :'' Carissa ovata'' Caesalpiniaceae: :''

Bauhinia ''Bauhinia'' () is a large genus of flowering plants in the subfamily Cercidoideae and tribe Bauhinieae, in the large flowering plant family Fabaceae, with a pantropical distribution. The genus was named after the Bauhin brothers Gaspard and ...

'' sp.

Casuarinaceae The Casuarinaceae are a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants placed in the order Fagales, consisting of four genera and 91 species of trees and shrubs native to eastern Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia, Malesia, Papuasia, and the Pacific ...

: :''

Casuarina ''Casuarina'', also known as she-oak, Australian pine and native pine, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Casuarinaceae, and is native to Australia, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, islands of the western Pacific Ocean, and e ...

'' sp.

Cupressaceae Cupressaceae or the cypress family is a family of conifers. The family includes 27–30 genera (17 monotypic), which include the junipers and redwoods, with about 130–140 species in total. They are monoecious, subdioecious or (rarely) dioecio ...

: :''

Callitris ''Callitris'' is a genus of coniferous trees in the Cupressaceae (cypress family). There are 16 recognized species in the genus, of which 13 are native to Australia and the other three (''C. neocaledonica, C. sulcata'' and ''C. p ...

'' sp.

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae (), the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of Euphorbia, the type genus of the family. Most spurges, such as ''Euphorbia paralias'', ar ...

: :'' Mallotus claoxyloides''

Meliaceae Meliaceae, the mahogany family, is a flowering plant family of mostly trees and shrubs (and a few herbaceous plants, mangroves) in the order Sapindales. They are characterised by alternate, usually pinnate leaves without stipules, and by syncarp ...

: :'' Owenia acidula'' Mimosaceae: :''

Acacia ammobia ''Acacia ammobia'', commonly known as the Mount Connor wattle, or Mount Conner wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to areas near the border between South Australia and the Northern Territory. It is a shr ...

'', ''

Acacia aneura ''Acacia aneura'', commonly known as mulga, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to inland Australia. It is a variable shrub or small tree with flat, narrowly linear to elliptic phyllodes, cylindrical spike ...

'', '' Acacia argyrodendron'', ''

Acacia baileyana ''Acacia baileyana'', commonly known as Cootamundra wattle, Bailey's wattle or golden mimosa, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to a restricted area of New South Wales, although it has become Naturalisation (b ...

'', ''

Acacia blakei ''Acacia blakei'', commonly known as Blake's wattle or Wollomombi wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is an erect or spreading tree or shrub, with straight or curved phyllodes, ...

'', '' Acacia burkittii'', '' Acacia burrowii'', '' Acacia cambagei'', '' Acacia cana'', '' Acacia cheelii'', '' Acacia colletioides'', ''

Acacia crassa ''Acacia crassa'', commonly known as the curracabah, is a species of ''Acacia'' native to eastern Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia ( ...

'', ''

Acacia dealbata ''Acacia dealbata'', the silver wattle, blue wattle or mimosa, is a species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is native to southeastern Australia and widely introduced in other warm climates. Description It is a fast-growing ...

'', '' Acacia deanei'', ''

Acacia decurrens ''Acacia decurrens'', commonly known as black wattle or early green wattle, is a perennial tree or shrub native to eastern New South Wales, including Sydney, the Greater Blue Mountains Area, the Hunter Region, and southwest to the Australian Capi ...

'', ''

Acacia doratoxylon ''Acacia doratoxylon'', commonly known as currawang, lancewood, spearwood or coast myall, is a shrub or tree belonging to the genus ''Acacia'' and the subgenus ''Juliflorae'' that is native to eastern and south eastern Australia. Description T ...

'', '' Acacia excelsa, Acacia georginae'', ''

Acacia gonoclada ''Acacia gonoclada'', also known as ganambureng, is a tree or shrub belonging to the genus ''Acacia'' and the subgenus ''Juliflorae'' that is endemic to northern Australia. Description The spindly tree or shrub typically grows to a height of . I ...

'', ''

Acacia harpophylla ''Acacia harpophylla'', commonly known as brigalow, brigalow spearwood or orkor, is an endemic (ecology), endemic tree of Australia. The Aboriginal Australian group the Gamilaraay peoples know the tree as Barranbaa or Burrii. It is found in ...

'', '' Acacia homalophylla'', '' Acacia kempeana'', '' Acacia leiocalyx'', '' Acacia loderi'', '' Acacia longispicata'', '' Acacia macdonnelliensis'', ''

Acacia mearnsii ''Acacia mearnsii'', commonly known as black wattle, late black wattle or green wattle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is Endemism, endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is usually an erect tree with smooth bark, Glo ...

'', ''

Acacia melanoxylon ''Acacia melanoxylon'', commonly known as the Australian blackwood, is an ''Acacia'' species native to south-eastern Australia. The species is also known as blackwood, hickory, mudgerabah, Tasmanian blackwood, or blackwood acacia. The tree belon ...

'', '' Acacia neriifolia'', '' Acacia omalophylla'', '' Acacia oswaldii'', ''

Acacia papyrocarpa ''Acacia papyrocarpa'', commonly known as western myall, is a tree in the family Fabaceae native to arid areas of central and western Australia. Description Western myall typically grows as a shrub or an upright tree to a height of but can grow ...

'', ''

Acacia pendula ''Acacia pendula'', commonly known as the weeping myall, true myall, myall, silver-leaf boree, boree, and nilyah, is a species of wattle, which is native to Australia. The 1889 book ''The Useful Native Plants of Australia'' records that common ...

'', ''

Acacia pycnantha ''Acacia pycnantha'', most commonly known as the golden wattle, is a tree of the family Fabaceae. It grows to a height of and has phyllodes (flattened leaf stalks) instead of true leaves. The profuse fragrant, golden flowers appear in late ...

'', ''

Acacia rigens ''Acacia rigens'', commonly known as nealie, is an erect or spreading shrub or small tree that is endemic to Australia. Other common names include needle wattle, needlebush acacia, nealia and nilyah. Description Plants typically grows to a heig ...

'', '' Acacia shirleyi'', ''

Acacia silvestris ''Acacia silvestris'', commonly known the Bodalla silver wattle, is a tree of the genus ''Acacia'' and the subgenus ''Botrycephalae''. It is native to an area in southeastern New South Wales and coastal Victoria. Description The erect to spread ...

'', '' Acacia sparsiflora'', ''

Acacia tetragonophylla ''Acacia tetragonophylla'', commonly known as curara, kurara or dead finish, is a tree in the family (biology), family Fabaceae that is endemism, endemic to arid and semi-arid parts of central and western Australia. Description Curara grows as a ...

'', '' Acacia victoriae'' Myoporaceae: :'' Eremophila mitchellii'', '' Myoporum platycarpum''

Myrtaceae Myrtaceae (), the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All ...

: :'' Eucalyptus lacrimans'', ''

Eucalyptus largiflorens ''Eucalyptus largiflorens'', or black box or river box, is a tree that is endemic to Australia. It has rough, fibrous or flaky bark, dull greenish-grey, lance-shaped leaves, oval to club-shaped green to yellow flower buds, white flowers and hemi ...

'', '' Melaleuca lanceolata''

Proteaceae The Proteaceae form a family (biology), family of flowering plants predominantly distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises 83 genus, genera with about 1,660 known species. Australia and South Africa have the greatest concentr ...

: :'' Hakea arborescens''

Rutaceae The Rutaceae () is a family (biology), family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
in Bo ...

: :'' Flindersia maculosa'', '' Geijera parviflora''

Sapindaceae The Sapindaceae are a family (biology), family of flowering plants in the order Sapindales known as the soapberry family. It contains 138 genera and 1,858 accepted species. Examples include Aesculus, horse chestnut, maples, ackee and lychee. The ...

: :'' Alectryon diversifolius'', '' Alectryon oleifolius''

Image Gallery

File:Amyema quandang 1.jpg File:Amyema quandang 2.jpg File:Amyema quandang 3.jpg File:Amyema quandang 4.jpg File:Amyema quandang 5.jpg

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q4749513 Parasitic plants quandang Eudicots of Western Australia Flora of the Northern Territory Flora of South Australia Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (state)