Plants of the Castlemaine District.

Wire-leaf Mistletoe - native (Amyema preissii)

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mistletoe

Family: Loranthaceae (Mistletoe family).

Fairly common. It grows almost exclusively on wattles. A large number of Cootamundra Wattles in the Castlemaine Township have Wire-leaf Mistletoe.

It is a hemi-parasite; it relies on the host plant for water and minerals, but has chlorophyll and is able to make its own sugars and other carbohydrates.

Identification:

  • the flowers are red to orange
  • it flowers in late summer-early autumn
  • the leaves are wiry
  • it is almost always growing on wattles, particularly fern-leaf wattles.
  • In some parts of Castlemaine e.g. Hunter Track and Campbell Street, its host is Tree Lucerne.

    Name: preissii: after a German botanist, Johann Preisse, who was a botanical collector in WA.


    Photos 1: In flower. Castlemaine. 2: Fruit. The berries are eaten and so distributed by birds such as the Singing Honeyeater and Mistletoe Bird. 3: Wire-leaf Mistletoe growing on Tree Lucerne. Hunter Track. 4: Fruit. Castlemaine.

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