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