Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Amyema miquelii

Flowers. Photographer Richard Hartland, White Elephant Reserve, Vic

Flowers and leaves. Photographer Don Wood, Brooks Hill Reserve, ACT, west of Bungendore

Fruit and leaves. Photographer Russell Best, Ingliston Gorge near Ballan, Vic

Common name

Stalked mistletoe, Box mistletoe

Family

Loranthaceae

Where found

Dry forest and woodland. Parasitic on several species of Eucalyptus and Acacia (particularly Eucalyptus polyanthemos and Eucalyptus melliodora in the ACT). Widespread.

Notes

Mistletoe, stems to 3m long. Plants attached to the host by a bulbous union. External runners absent. Fruit fleshy, sticky. Leaves somewhat fleshy. Young shoots hairy, becoming hairless. Leaves opposite each other or scattered along the stems, 3-40 cm long, 5-30 mm wide, hairless, tips blunt.  Flowers 15-35 mm long, red, initially tubular, but the 5-7 petals finally free from each other to the base when the flowers are fully open. Flowers in 3-s (triads) or 4-s (tetrads), all flowers stalked, rarely the central flower stalkless. Triads and tetrads in clusters of 3-7. Flowers Summer to Autumn. Ripe fruit yellow to red., oval to pear-shaped, 8–12 mm long.

All native plants on unleased land in the ACT are protected.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Amyema~miquelii  (accessed 3 January, 2021)