Muellerina myrtifolia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Muellerina myrtifolia
Scientific classification
Genus:	Muellerina (plant)
Species:	myrtifolia
Where the myrtle-leaved mistletoe grows in Australia

Muellerina myrtifolia, also known as the myrtle-leaved mistletoe, is a special kind of plant. It's a parasitic shrub that grows in the air, not in the ground! This plant belongs to the Loranthaceae family. You can find it only in New South Wales and Queensland in Australia.

What Does It Look Like?

The myrtle-leaved mistletoe is a rainforest plant. It has small, oval-shaped leaves that are about 15-20 mm long. The top of the leaves is shiny, while the bottom is dull.

When new parts of the plant grow, they have a reddish-brown color. Its flowers grow in hanging bunches on long stalks. Each flower is a long tube, either red and yellow or red and white. They have dark parts called stamens that stick out.

The fruit of this plant is oval-shaped and starts as a dull green. As it ripens, it turns a brownish-red color. The fruit also has a clear mark from where the flower used to be.

How It Lives and Grows

The myrtle-leaved mistletoe is a hemiparasitic plant. This means it gets some of its food and water from other plants. It attaches itself to them and takes what it needs.

It mostly grows on vines. Some of its favorite host plants include the Wonga vine (Pandorea pandorana). It also grows on different types of Jasminum and Parsonsia plants.

Scientists have studied which plants Muellerina myrtifolia grows on. This helps us understand how it survives in nature.

This mistletoe is not known to be a host plant for any butterflies. This means butterflies do not lay their eggs or feed on this plant.

Naming the Plant

The myrtle-leaved mistletoe was first described by a botanist named George Bentham in 1867. He gave it the name Loranthus myrtifolius.

Later, in 1962, another botanist named B.A.Barlow gave it its current name, Muellerina myrtifolia. He also provided a more detailed description of the plant in 1984.