From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Muellerina myrtifolia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Santalales
Family: Loranthaceae
Genus: Muellerina
Species:
M. myrtifolia
Binomial name
Muellerina myrtifolia
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms [3]

Furcilla myrtifolia ( A.Cunn. ex Benth.) Tiegh.
Loranthus myrtifolius A.Cunn. ex Benth.
Phrygilanthus myrtifolius ( A.Cunn. ex Benth.) Eichler
Tupeia myrtifolia ( A.Cunn. ex Benth.) Chalon

Muellerina myrtifolia, common name myrtle-leaved mistletoe, [4] is a hemiparasitic aerial shrub in the family Loranthaceae. [5] The species is endemic to New South Wales and Queensland. [5]

Description

M. myrtifolia is a rainforest mistletoe with small ovate, sessile leaves with a shiny upper surface and a dull lower surface, and measuring 15–20 mm long. [6] New growth is russet-coloured. [4] The inflorescence is a paired umbel which hangs from the foliage on long stalks, with each flower being a long red and yellow or red and white tube with dark, projecting stamens. [4] [6] The oval shaped fruit are a dull green which ripens to a brownish-red, and have a prominent flower-scars. [4]

Ecology

The main hosts on which M. myrtifolia grows are vines, in particular, Wonga vine ( Pandorea pandorana), Jasminum species, and Parsonsia species. [4] An inventory of host plants for Muellerina myrtifolia is given by Downey. [7] [8]

Muellerina myrtifolia is not known to host any butterflies. [4]

Taxonomy

The species was first described by George Bentham in 1867 as Loranthus myrtifolius. [1] [9] It was redescribed by B.A.Barlow in 1962 as Muellerina myrtifolia, with the current description of the species being that of Barlow in 1984. [1] [10]

References

  1. ^ a b c "APNI: Muellerina myrtifolia". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  2. ^ Barlow, B.A. (1962) Studies in Australian Loranthaceae. I. Nomenclature and new additions. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 87(1): 55
  3. ^ Govaerts, R. et al. (2018) Plants of the world online: Muellerina myrtifolia. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Watson, D.M. (2011) Mistletoes of Southern Australia, CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Victoria
  5. ^ a b Quirico, A.L. "Muellerina myrtifolia". PlantNET - New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney Australia. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  6. ^ a b Moss, J.T. & Kendall, R. (2016) The Mistletoes of subtropical Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club Inc. Runcorn Queensland.
  7. ^ Downey, P.O. (1998) An inventory of host species for each aerial mistletoe species (Loranthaceae and Viscaceae) in Australia. ( Cunninghamia 5(3) 685-720)
  8. ^ Downey, P.O. (2004) A regional examination of the mistletoe host species inventory. ( Cunninghamia 8(3) 354-361)
  9. ^ Bentham, G. (1867), Orders XLVIII. Myrtaceae- LXII. Compositae. Flora Australiensis 3: 390
  10. ^ Barlow, B.A. in George, A.S. (ed.) (1984), Loranthaceae. Flora of Australia 22: 88, 90, Map 101

External links