''Amyema quandang'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of hemi-

parasitic Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has c ...

shrub which is widespread throughout the mainland of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, 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 the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...

''. 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 an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel'') ...

, 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 honeyeater The spiny-cheeked honeyeater (''Acanthagenys rufogularis'') is the only species in the genus ''Acanthagenys''. It is large for a honeyeater, ranging from tall and weighing around 52 grams."Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater." Featherdal Wildlife ...

s ''Acanthagenys rufogularis'', who assist in its pollination. The fruit is consumed by

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 o ...

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 pendula ''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 occasi ...

'', rare amongst Loranthaceae, has produced first generation hybrids.

Taxonomy

''Amyema quandang'' is member of

Santalales The Santalales are an order of flowering plants with a cosmopolitan distribution, but heavily concentrated in tropical and subtropical regions. It derives its name from its type genus ''Santalum'' (sandalwood). Mistletoe is the common name for a ...

, 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 W ...

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

John Lindley John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) 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 w ...

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 ''Santalum acuminatum'', the desert quandong, is a hemiparasitic plant in the sandalwood family, Santalaceae, (Native to Australia) which is widely dispersed throughout the central deserts and southern areas of Australia. The species, especiall ...

'', 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 Bailleul, Nord, Baillleul in the département of Nord (French department), Nord. He was one of the best known French botanists of the latter nin ...

transferred it to the genus ''

Amyema ''Amyema'' is a genus of semi- parasitic shrubs (mistletoes) which occur in Malesia and Australia. Etymology ''Amyema'' derives from the Greek: ''a'' (negative), and ''myeo'' (I initiate), referring to the genus being previously unrecognised. ...

'' 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 Frederick Manson Bailey (8 March 1827 – 25 June 1915) was a botanist active in Australia, who made valuable contributions to the characterisation of the flora of Queensland. He was known by his middle name, Manson. Early life Bailey was b ...

) Barlow, the latter being found in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

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 Members of the ...

: :'' 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 Jo ...

'' 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 Pacifi ...

: :''

Casuarina ''Casuarina'' is a genus of 17 tree species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australia, the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, islands of the western Pacific Ocean, and eastern Africa. It was once treated as the sole genus in the fami ...

'' sp.

Cupressaceae Cupressaceae is a conifer family, the cypress family, with worldwide distribution. The family includes 27–30 genera (17 monotypic), which include the junipers and redwoods, with about 130–140 species in total. They are monoecious, subdio ...

: :''

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 a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as ''Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, e ...

: :'' 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 ''Owenia acidula'', commonly known as emu apple, is small or medium-sized tree of outback woodlands native to Australia. It may grow to ten metres tall. The pinnate leaves are bright green and shiny, with leaflets 2–5 cm long. Broken tw ...

Mimosaceae The Mimosoideae are a traditional subfamily of trees, herbs, lianas, and shrubs in the pea family (Fabaceae) that mostly grow in tropical and subtropical climates. They are typically characterized by having radially symmetric flowers, with petals ...

: :'' Acacia ammobia'', ''

Acacia aneura ''Acacia aneura'', commonly known as mulga or true mulga, is a shrub or small tree native to arid outback areas of Australia. It is the dominant tree in the habitat to which it gives its name ( mulga) that occurs across much of inland Australia. ...

'', ''

Acacia argyrodendron ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...

'', ''

Acacia baileyana ''Acacia baileyana'' or Cootamundra wattle is a shrub or tree in the flowering plant family Fabaceae. The scientific name of the species honours the botanist Frederick Manson Bailey. It is indigenous to a very small area in southern inland New S ...

'', '' Acacia blakei'', ''

Acacia burkittii ''Acacia burkittii'' is a species of wattle endemic to Western Australia, South Australia and western New South Wales, where it is found in arid zones, and is a perennial shrub in the family Fabaceae. Common names for it include Burkitt's watt ...

'', '' Acacia burrowii'', ''

Acacia cambagei ''Acacia cambagei'', commonly known as gidgee, stinking wattle, stinking gidgee in English, or gidjiirr, by transliteration from indigenous languages of north-western NSW, is an endemic tree of Australia. It is found primarily in semiarid and ...

'', '' Acacia cana'', '' Acacia cheelii'', '' Acacia colletioides'', '' Acacia crassa'', ''

Acacia dealbata ''Acacia dealbata'', the silver wattle, blue wattle or mimosa, is a species of flowering plant in the legume family (botany), family Fabaceae, native plant, native to southeastern Australia in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and the Australi ...

'', ''

Acacia deanei ''Acacia deanei'' (Deane's wattle, green wattle; syn. ''Acacia paucijuga'' Wakef. ''Acacia deanei'' subsp. ''paucijuga'' ''Racosperma deanei'' (R.T.Baker) Pedley) is a tree native to Australia, which is useful for controlling soil erosion. Th ...

'', ''

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 south west to the Australian Cap ...

'', '' Acacia doratoxylon'', '' Acacia excelsa, Acacia georginae'', '' Acacia gonoclada'', '' Acacia harpophylla'', ''

Acacia homalophylla ''Acacia homalophylla'' is a small tree found in the eastern half of Australia, where it is known as the yarran. It has also been introduced into India and Pakistan. Description ''Acacia homalophylla'' has a clean trunk and leafy head, a da ...

'', ''

Acacia kempeana ''Acacia kempeana'' (''Acacia'' or ακακία (akakia) from the Greek word ''Akis'' for thorn and ''kempeana'' after Pastor Kempe, co-founder of Lutheran Mission at Hermannburg-Ntaria in 1877), commonly known as wanderrie wattle, witchetty bus ...

'', ''

Acacia leiocalyx ''Acacia leiocalyx'' (black wattle, early flowering black wattle, lamb's tail wattle, curracabah) grows in Queensland, Australia and as far south as Sydney. It is widespread and common in eucalypt woodlands, especially on well-drained, shallow ...

'', '' 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 endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is usually an erect tree with smooth bark, bipinnate lea ...

'', ''

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

'', ''

Acacia neriifolia ''Acacia neriifolia'', also known as the oleander wattle, silver wattle or pechy wattle, is a tree in the genus ''Acacia'' native to north eastern Australia. It is common in the Moonbi Ranges. Description The evergreen tree or shrub typically g ...

'', '' 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 native to southeastern Australia. It grows to a height of and has phyllodes (flattened leaf stalks) instead of true leaves. Sickle-shaped, these ...

'', '' Acacia rigens'', ''

Acacia shirleyi ''Acacia shirleyi'', known colloquially as lancewood, is a species of ''Acacia'' native to Queensland and the Northern Territory in Australia. It grows as a tree to high, with dark grey or black stringy bark and blue-grey foliage. The yellow f ...

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

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

'', ''

Acacia victoriae ''Acacia victoriae'', commonly known as gundabluie or bardi bush, is a shrub-like tree native to Australia. Subspecies: ''A. victoriae'' subsp. ''arida'' Pedley Distribution and ecology Found in arid and semi-arid areas, the ''Acacia victoria ...

'' Myoporaceae: :''

Eremophila mitchellii ''Eremophila mitchellii'', known commonly as false sandalwood and several other names, is a flowering plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae and is endemic to Australia. It is a glabrous large shrub or small tree with flaky bark, white or ...

'', ''

Myoporum platycarpum ''Myoporum platycarpum'', known by several common names including sugarwood, false sandalwood and ngural is a plant in the figwort family, Scrophulariaceae. It is rounded with bright green foliage as a young shrub and roughly fissured, dark gr ...

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 speci ...

: :''

Eucalyptus lacrimans ''Eucalyptus lacrimans'', commonly known as weeping snow gum, is a species of small tree that is endemic to New South Wales. It has smooth white bark, lance-shaped adult leaves with more or less parallel veins, flower buds in groups of seven to ...

'', ''

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 ''Melaleuca lanceolata'' commonly known as black paperbark, moonah, Rottnest Island teatree and western black tea tree is a plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae and is native to Australia where it occurs in Western Australia, South Australia, ...

Proteaceae The Proteaceae form a family of flowering plants predominantly distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The family comprises 83 genera with about 1,660 known species. Together with the Platanaceae and Nelumbonaceae, they make up the order Pro ...

: :'' Hakea arborescens''

Rutaceae The Rutaceae is a family, commonly known as the rueRUTACEAE
in BoDD – Botanical Derm ...

: :''

Flindersia maculosa ''Flindersia maculosa'', commonly known as leopardwood or leopard tree, is a species of tree in the family Rutaceae and is endemic to inland areas of eastern Australia. It has mottled bark, simple leaves arranged in opposite pairs, white to cre ...

'', '' Geijera parviflora''

Sapindaceae The Sapindaceae are a family of flowering plants in the order Sapindales known as the soapberry family. It contains 138 genera and 1858 accepted species. Examples include horse chestnut, maples, ackee and lychee. The Sapindaceae occur in tempera ...

: :'' 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 (Australia)