Harlequin Mistletoe

Appearance

Spreading to shrub, glabrous; no external runners. Leaves flat or compressed when very narrow, linear to narrow-oblong, sessile or the wider leaves shortly petiolate, 3–15 cm long, 1–10 mm wide, apex is usually rounded, base attenuate - contracted, venation is obscure; shortly petiolate.

Inflorescence pedunculate usually a 2-flowered umbel; peduncle usually 0.5–2 mm in length; pedicels 2–5 mm long; bracts 1–1.5 mm long. Corolla 25–50 mm long, is usually red, rarely yellow, can also be tipped with green or black.

Fruit ellipsoidal to ovoid, 6–10 mm long, red or black.

Distribution

"Lysiana" species can be broadly grouped into those that have 80-90 units of DNA and those that have greater than 100 units. "L. exocarpi" is the only species that extends its range into temperate non-arid regions, with DNA values predominantly above 100, the average being 117 units.

Open woodland and forest, extending into semi-arid woodlands dominated by acacia.

"L. exocarpi:" Occurs in arid and temperate regions of all mainland States, from Lake Carnegie, W.A, to the Hunter Valley, NSW, in open forest and woodland on many different hosts but frequently on other Loranthaceae.

"L. exocarpi" subsp. "exocarpi": Occurs in arid and temperate Australia from Lake Carnegie, Q.A., to western Qld and central Vic; on many host species, most frequently on "Acacia", "Amyema", "Cassia", Casuarinaceae, "Eremophila", "Exocarpos", "Alectryon" and exotic trees. A polymorphic subspecies, with a cline towards wider and thicker leaves from temperate to arid habitats.

"L. exocarpi" subsp. "tenuis:" Occurs in Qld and NSW from the Darling Downs to the Hunter Valley and inland to the Western Plains, in open woodland and forest, usually on Casuarinaceae.

Food

According to Les Hiddins, Aboriginal people would eat the fruit without chewing so they wouldn't stick to the tongue. The ripeness of the berry is indicated not only by its softness, but often also by a slight translucence. When quite ripe the sticky, gelatinous, sweet pulp surrounding the single seed is pleasant to eat, but its great stickiness often make the seed almost impossible to spit out.

Birds have the same difficulty and may sometimes be seen wiping their beaks free of seeds against the branch of a tree. Jennifer Isaacs lists berries of "L. exocarpi" and "L.spathulata" as being eaten in the Central desert Peter Latz notes that the calories obtained would be rather low. Aborigines often pluck whole branches from the tree and pick off the berries at their leisure.

These berries are particularly favored by children. Although all Aboriginal groups have two or more names for mistletoes, it appears that they do not give separate names to each species. The Walpiri word for both "L. murrayi" and "L. spathulata" is "pawurlirri". The Antakirinja people around Coober Pedy call the berries of "L. exocarpi" Ngantja.

Reference to the fruit was first contained in a letter written by Governor Gawler during an ill-fated expedition in 1839 led by Charles Sturt. Gawler to his brother-in-law, Henry Cox, 20 December 1839: "The poor boy accompanied me most cheerfully, he had been resting all day and did not appear to suffer from the subsequent exertion. He brought me the pulpy but bitter fruit of the mesembryantheumum and the little berries of the exocarpi - and ate plenty of them himself - he made many observations about our course, appearing to recollect its striking features well, and calculated our distances with much precision".

Evolution

"L. exocarpi" was first collected from Spencer's Gulf in 1802 by Robert Brown.

It was first described as "Loranthus exocarpi" by Hans Hermann Behr in 1847 after his first visit to Australia 1844-45. Behr was the first botanist to systematically collect and study the flora of the Barossa Range, mallee scrubs towards the River Marne and areas adjacent to the River Murray at Moorundie. Dietrich von Schlechtendahl treated 200 plants collected by Behr, of which he described 62 as being new species: a further five, including "Loranthus exocarpi" were described by Behr.

In 1894 Philippe Édouard Léon Van Tieghem published a revision of "Loranthus" and created a new genus "Lysiana". The name is based on the Greek "lyo" - "I set free" - referring to the separation of the genus from "Loranthus".