Amyema miquelii

Amyema miquelii

Family: Loranthaceae
Distribution: Widespread in open forests in all mainland states, often parasitic on Acacia and Eucalyptus species.
Common Name: Box mistletoe
Conservation Status: Not considered to be at risk in the wild.
Derivation of Name: Amyema… From Greek a, no or without and myeo, to instruct, possibly referring to the fact that the name was in use before a taxonomic description had been published.
miquelii… After F. Miquel, a 19th century Dutch botanist.

General Description:

Amyema is a genus of parasitic plants. There are about 100 species with around 35 native to Australia. Amyema miquelii is a pendulous species with elongated, linear or elliptical leaves to about 35 cm long. It occurs on mainly on Acacia and Eucalyptus species but will occasionally be found on other genera. Flowers are usually seen in summer through to autumn or summer and they are very attractive being narrowly tubular in shape to about 30 mm long. The flowers are generally red in colour and are followed by yellow fleshy fruits about 12 mm diameter.

Mistletoes, generally, are not often cultivated as they are regarded as having a detrimental effect on their hosts. This is true if there is a severe infestation but is not likely in a controlled garden environment. Amyema miquelii can be cultivated by removing the sticky seeds from the fruit and attaching them to a suitable branch. This replicates the way they become established naturally where the fruits are eaten by birds and the seeds deposited in the bird’s droppings.