Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Notothixos cornifolius

Flowers and leaves. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Merriwa, near Rylstone

Flowers and young fruit. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Merriwa, NW of Muswellbrook

Ripe fruit and leaves. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Merriwa, NW of Muswellbrook

Plants on host tree. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Merriwa, NW of Muswellbrook

Common name

Kurrajong Mistletoe

Family

Santalaceae

Where found

Mistletoe often parasitic on Brachychiton populneum. A few records between Burrinjuck and Wee Jasper, NW of the ACT. Mostly ranges and tablelands north from Wollemi National Park, north of the area covered by this key.

Notes

Spreading or weeping shrub with stems to 1 m long. Plants attached to the host by a bulbous union. External runners absent. Fruit fleshy. Stems whitish, with fawn or tawny, mainly short, stellate hairs (needs a hand lens or a macro app on your phone/tablet to see), becoming sparse or absent with age. Leaves opposite each other, usually 5–9 cm long, 15–25 mm wide, surfaces glossy green, tips usually rounded, rarely pointed. Male and female flowers on the same plant. Flowers greenish yellow or reddish, 1-3 mm long, with 4 'petals'. Flowers in paired clusters of 4–12 flowers. Flowering: spring–summer. Fruit yellowish green to orange, oval, 6-8 mm long, hairy when immature.

Family Viscaceae in PlantNET.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Notothixos~cornifolius  (accessed 20 April 2021)