Amyema miquelii

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Box Mistletoe
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Santalales
Family: Loranthaceae
Genus: Amyema
Species: A. miquelii
Binomial name
Amyema miquelii
(Lehm. ex Miq.) Tiegh.[1]

Amyema miguelli is a stem holoparasite of the family Loranthaceae. It is specific to a select few species the Australian Eucalyptus Genra. They are spread by the mistletoe bird that eats the fruit, defecates and has to wipe it from its feathers onto a Eucalyptus tree branch due to the sticky nature of the seed.

The Mistletoe bird gets very little nutritional benefit from eating these fruit so the seed is intact and the majorly undigested mucus attaches the seed to the tree. The seed begins to germinate and penetrates the tree's vascular system with a structure called the hypocotyl (similar to the radicle of any germinating plant). From that point, the Amyema seedling begins to obtain nutrients from the host and develop into a large plant.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Amyema miquelii. Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.