Lysiana murrayi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lysiana murrayi
Scientific classification
Genus:	Lysiana
Species:	murrayi
Occurrence data from AVH

The Mulga Mistletoe, also known by its scientific name Lysiana murrayi, is a special type of plant. It is a shrub that can grow upright or spread out. This plant is a "hemi-parasite," which means it gets some of its water and nutrients from another plant, but it also makes its own food using sunlight, just like most plants.

It belongs to the Loranthaceae family, which is the mistletoe family. You can find Mulga Mistletoe in most parts of mainland Australia, except for Victoria.

What Does Mulga Mistletoe Look Like?

Mulga Mistletoe has flat, narrow leaves. Sometimes, these leaves might be slightly rounded with a groove on top. The leaves are usually about 2.5 to 6 centimeters (1 to 2.4 inches) long. They are also quite thin, about 1 to 3.5 millimeters (0.04 to 0.14 inches) wide. You won't see clear veins on the leaves, and they don't have a distinct stem connecting them to the branch.

Flowers and Fruit

The flowers of the Mulga Mistletoe often grow alone or in pairs. They do not have a common stalk. Each flower sits on a small stem that is about 8 to 20 millimeters (0.3 to 0.8 inches) long. This stem gets wider towards the top.

The flower buds are usually 18 to 28 millimeters (0.7 to 1.1 inches) long when they are ready to open. Their petals can be white, yellow, or pink. After the flowers bloom, they turn into round fruits. These fruits are about 7 to 12 millimeters (0.3 to 0.5 inches) long. They are usually pink or red.

Where Does Mulga Mistletoe Grow?

You can find Mulga Mistletoe across a large area of Australia. It grows from the Ashburton River in Western Australia all the way to the Western Plains of New South Wales and Queensland.

This plant prefers to live in dry and semi-dry woodlands. It almost always grows on Acacia trees. These trees are often called Mulga trees in Australia, which is how the Mulga Mistletoe got its common name.