Amyema mackayensis

Amyema mackayensis, the mangrove mistletoe,[3] is a species of flowering plant within the genus Amyema, an epiphytic hemiparasitic plant of the family Loranthaceae native to Australia, and found along its northern and eastern coasts in New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, and also in New Guinea.[4][5]

Amyema mackayensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Santalales
Family: Loranthaceae
Genus: Amyema
Species:
A. mackayensis
Binomial name
Amyema mackayensis
Collections data for A. mackayensis from the Australasian Virtual Herbarium

Description

The opposite[3] flat leaves have a distinct stem[6] and are thick, fleshy and round, and can be up to 6 cm in length.[3] The inflorescence is an umbel of two or more triads or tetrads (flowering in a group of four).[6] The mature buds are terete (long and cylindrical) or angular, and smooth or with just a few scattered hairs.[6]

Ecology

A. mackayensis is found along the coast and in maritime communities, on mangroves,[4] in particular on the Grey Mangrove (Avicennia marina)[3] Moss & Kendall comment that there is evidence that this mistletoe accumulates excess salt loads in leaves which it sheds, and thus reduce its salt load.[3]

Taxonomy

A. mackayensis was first described by Blakely in 1922 as Loranthus mackayensis,[7] but in 1929 was placed in the genus Amyema by Danser.[1][2]

References
  1. "'Australian Plant Name Index (APNI): Amyema mackayensis, IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government". Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  2. Danser, B.H. 1929. On the taxonomy and nomenclature of the Loranthaceae of Asia and Australia. Bulletin du Jardin Botanique de Buitenzorg ser. 3, 10(3): 297
  3. Moss, J.T. & Kendall, R. 2016. The mistletoes of subtropical Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria,Butterfly & Other Invertebrates Club
  4. Barlow, B.A. 1984. "Flora of Australia Online:Amyema mackayensis, Data derived from Flora of Australia Volume 22, a product of ABRS, ©Commonwealth of Australia". Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  5. "AVH: Amyema mackayensis (mapview), Australasian Virtual Herbarium". Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  6. Barlow, B.A. 1984. "Flora of Australia Online: key to Amyema, Data derived from Flora of Australia Volume 22, a product of ABRS, ©Commonwealth of Australia". Archived from the original on 9 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  7. Blakely, W.F. 1922. The Loranthaceae of Australia. Part iii. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 47(4): 392
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