Muellerina bidwillii

Muellerina bidwillii, common name Cypress-pine mistletoe,[3] is a hemiparasitic arial shrub in the family Loranthaceae.[4] The species is endemic to New South Wales and Queensland.[4]

Muellerina bidwillii
Muellerina bidwillii (artist F.C.Wills)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Santalales
Family: Loranthaceae
Genus: Muellerina
Species:
M. bidwillii
Binomial name
Muellerina bidwillii
Occurrence data from AVH
Synonyms[1]

Loranthus bidwillii Benth.
Furcilla bidwillii (Benth.) Tiegh.
Phrygilanthus bidwillii (Benth.) Eichler

Description

M. bidwillii is an erect to spreading plant, the branches and leaves of which are smooth (or having a few scattered hairs on the inflorescence axes).[5] The leaves are linear to oblanceolate and rounded at the tip.[5] The leaf blade is from 1.5 to 3 cm long and 1.5 to 3 mm wide, with obscure venation and an obscure petiole.[5] The inflorescence a 2-flowered simple umbel on a peduncle which is from 3 to 6 mm long. The corolla in the mature bud is 20–27 mm long, and the flower has anthers 1–1.5 mm long, with the free part of filament being 8–10 mm long.[5] The pink or red fruit is pear-shaped to spherical and from 6 to 8 mm long.[5]

Ecology

The main hosts on which M. bidwillii grows are Callitris species, in particular Callitris glaucophylla.[3] An inventory of host plants for Muellerina bidwillii spp. is given by Downey.[6][7]

Muellerina bidwillii is not known to host any butterflies.[3]

Taxonomy

The species was first described by George Bentham in 1867 as Loranthus bidwillii.[1][8] It was redescribed by B.A.Barlow in 1962 as Muellerina bidwillii, with the current description of the species being that of Barlow in 1984.[1][5]

  • Haustorium on Callitris glaucophylla
  • plant on Callitris glaucophylla
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References
  1. "APNI: Muellerina bidwillii". Australian Plant Name Index. Retrieved 23 September 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): 53
  3. Watson, D.M. (2011) Mistletoes of Southern Australia, CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Victoria
  4. Quirico, A.L. "Muellerina bidwillii". PlantNET - New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney Australia. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  5. Barlow, B.A. in George, A.S. (ed.) (1984), Loranthaceae. Flora of Australia 22: 90, Fig. 23B, Map 102
  6. Downey, P.O. (1998) An inventory of host species for each aerial mistletoe species (Loranthaceae and Viscaceae) in Australia. (Cunninghamia 5(3) 685-720)
  7. Downey, P.O. (2004) A regional examination of the mistletoe host species inventory. (Cunninghamia 8(3) 354-361)
  8. Bentham, G. (1867) Orders XLVIII. Myrtaceae- LXII. Compositae. Flora Australiensis 3: 390
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