Amyema congener
Encyclopedia
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
, Acacia
and some exotic species.
Franz Sieber
first described this species as Loranthus congener in 1829, before Philippe Édouard Léon Van Tieghem gave it its current binomial name in 1894.
It grows as shrubby plant, with either an erect or pendant (drooping) habit, from a tree branch or trunk. It is attached to the host tree by a globular woody base. The stems and foliage are smooth. The thick leathery leaves are spear-shaped (lanceolate) to oval or obovate and measure 4–11 cm (1.6–4.3 in) in length and 1–5.5 cm (0.4–2.2 in) across. Flowers can be seen at any time of year. The 0.8 cm (0.3 in) diameter round fruit ripen over the summer (December to February), and the single seed within is contained in a sticky membrane.
The principal host plant of the variable mistletoe is the black sheoak (Allocasuarina littoralis
) also forest oak (A. torulosa
), gossamer wattle (Acacia floribunda
), white feather honeymyrtle (Melaleuca decora
), prickly-leaved tea tree (M. styphelioides
), prickly-leaved paperbark (M. nodosa
), snow-in-summer (M. linariifolia
), green native cascarilla (Croton verreauxii
), red olive plum (Elaeodendron australe
), as well as introduced trees such as peach and plum trees, pear trees, and oleander (Nerium oleander). It is only occasionally on gum trees such as Eucalyptus obtusifolia and smooth-barked apple Angophora costata
.
The Mistletoebird
(Dicaeum hirundinaceum) eats the fruit.
Scale insect species such as Ceroplastes cerciferus, C. rubens, and Aspidiotus aurantii can attack the plant.
The seed immediately begins to germinate and soon penetrates the vascular system of the tree and creates a physiological connection with the xylem
of the new host. From that point, the seedling begins to obtain water and mineral nutrients from the host.
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...
of the family 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...
from eastern Australia. It is found on members of the genera Allocasuarina
Allocasuarina
Allocasuarina is a genus of trees in the flowering plant family Casuarinaceae. They are endemic to Australia, occurring primarily in the south. Like the closely related genus Casuarina, they are commonly called sheoaks or she-oaks, they are notable for their long, segmented branchlets that...
, Acacia
Acacia
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...
and some exotic species.
Franz Sieber
Franz Sieber
Franz Wilhelm Sieber , was a botanist and collector who travelled to Europe, the Middle East, Southern Africa and Australia.-Early Life:Franz Sieber was born in Prague, on 30 March 1789....
first described this species as Loranthus congener in 1829, before Philippe Édouard Léon Van Tieghem gave it its current binomial name in 1894.
It grows as shrubby plant, with either an erect or pendant (drooping) habit, from a tree branch or trunk. It is attached to the host tree by a globular woody base. The stems and foliage are smooth. The thick leathery leaves are spear-shaped (lanceolate) to oval or obovate and measure 4–11 cm (1.6–4.3 in) in length and 1–5.5 cm (0.4–2.2 in) across. Flowers can be seen at any time of year. The 0.8 cm (0.3 in) diameter round fruit ripen over the summer (December to February), and the single seed within is contained in a sticky membrane.
The principal host plant of the variable mistletoe is the black sheoak (Allocasuarina littoralis
Allocasuarina littoralis
Allocasuarina littoralis or Black Sheoak is an endemic medium-sized Australian tree . A...
) also forest oak (A. torulosa
Allocasuarina torulosa
Allocasuarina torulosa is a tree which grows in sub-rainforest of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. Originally described as Casuarina torulosa by William Aiton, it was moved to its current genus in 1982 by Australian botanist Lawrie Johnson...
), gossamer wattle (Acacia floribunda
Acacia floribunda
Acacia floribunda is a perennial evergreen shrub or tree. It is native to New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, but is cultivated extensively, and has naturalised in South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia, and also in Indonesia, Mauritius and northern New Zealand...
), white feather honeymyrtle (Melaleuca decora
Melaleuca decora
Melaleuca decora, known as the White Feather Honeymyrtle, is a plant native to eastern Australia. A bush or tree with paperbark, usually seen around 4 to 7 metres tall. Exceptional specimens, however, may exceed 20 metres tall. The habitat is swampy areas on heavy soils, mostly near the coast. The...
), prickly-leaved tea tree (M. styphelioides
Melaleuca styphelioides
Melaleuca styphelioides, known as the Prickly-leaved paperbark or Prickly Paperbark, is a plant native to eastern Australia.-Description:...
), prickly-leaved paperbark (M. nodosa
Melaleuca nodosa
Melaleuca nodosa, commonly known as the prickly-leaved paperbark, is a shrub native to New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia in eastern Australia....
), snow-in-summer (M. linariifolia
Melaleuca linariifolia
Melaleuca linariifolia, popularly known as Snow-in-Summer, is a plant native to eastern Australia. Other names include Narrow-leaved Paperbark, Flax-leaved Paperbark and the Gadigal Budjur....
), green native cascarilla (Croton verreauxii
Croton verreauxii
Croton verreauxii known as the Green Native Cascarilla is a small tree or shrub growing in dry rainforest and rainforest margins in eastern Australia....
), red olive plum (Elaeodendron australe
Elaeodendron australe
Elaeodendron australe is a shrub or small tree growing from Tuross Head near Moruya, New South Wales to central coastal Queensland. It occurs in eucalyptus and rainforest ecotone areas, and in littoral or dry rainforests in Australia...
), as well as introduced trees such as peach and plum trees, pear trees, and oleander (Nerium oleander). It is only occasionally on gum trees such as Eucalyptus obtusifolia and smooth-barked apple Angophora costata
Angophora costata
Angophora costata is a common woodland and forest tree of Eastern Australia and is known by a variety of names including smooth-barked apple, rose gum, rose apple or Sydney red gum. It grows primarily on sandstone soils, usually on headlands, plateaus or other elevated areas. A...
.
The 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...
(Dicaeum hirundinaceum) eats the fruit.
Scale insect species such as Ceroplastes cerciferus, C. rubens, and Aspidiotus aurantii can attack the plant.
The seed immediately begins to germinate and soon penetrates the vascular system of the tree and creates a physiological connection with the xylem
Xylem
Xylem is one of the two types of transport tissue in vascular plants. . The word xylem is derived from the Classical Greek word ξυλον , meaning "wood"; the best-known xylem tissue is wood, though it is found throughout the plant...
of the new host. From that point, the seedling begins to obtain water and mineral nutrients from the host.