Showy Mistletoe sp.

Description:

Mistletoe is a hemiparasitic plant, which means it obtains some nourishment from its host but also photosynthesizes. Also called a semiparasite. * Please see notes for more specific details regarding mistletoe species found in Australia. As for this spotting, I don't think I've ever seen a more heavily-infested host tree, a eucalypt, with dozens of mistletoes of various sizes growing from its branches. The photos are of living and dead plants, but they also show how gnarled and woody mistletoe can be; it's not just a soft and flowing plant, floating with the breeze. To me, these look more like burls or galls, and were so woody they appeared to be part of the original tree, not separate from it as a hemiparasite. Leaves also took on a golden hue in the early morning light, more so than the leaves of the tree. It would be premature for me to nominate a specific species, but the family is almost certain. I'll have to wait until flowering occurs in the summer months to be absolutely sure. NB: This spotting was made in winter. Also, fourteen species of mistletoe have been identified in Girraween and Bald Rock National Parks, only a short distance from here. Of those species, I am currently leaning towards these three as potential IDs (based on location, general description and image searches): Amyema pendula ssp. longifolia (subspecies found west of the Great Dividing Range and inland), Amyema miquelii, and Muellerina eucalyptoides, but only time will tell.

Habitat:

The New England District of the Northern Tablelands, NSW. Rural landscape, but large areas of natural bushland vegetation in the area. Drought conditions currently prevail, but this changes over time. Specimens found growing on a large eucalypt. Eucalyptus and Acacia species trees and shrubs are by far the most common hosts of the various mistletoe species, and these trees are so hardy and can withstand all sorts of weather extremes that their choice as a host by the Mistletoebird makes perfect sense.

Notes:

* 89 mistletoe species in 14 genera are recognised in Australia, and are set out in the following link: https://www.anbg.gov.au/mistletoe/taxono... Of these, 66 species (74%) are endemic to Australia. By far the most numerous species belong to the family LORANTHACEAE, commonly known as Showy Mistletoe, but two other recognised families are SANTALACEAE and VISCACEAE. However, these represent only a small proportion of mistletoe species found in this country. Finally, here's some information on the bird that spreads the mistletoe seeds: http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/... It's an Australian native bird that ranges across most of the continent, as well as parts of PNG and eastern Indonesia.