Glossary for the Australian Mistletoe Key

Alternate: Leaves that arise alternately along the stem, one from each node.

Angular: A more square or rectangular section than rounded, with obvious corners.

Anther: The pollen containing organ within the flower. Usually two lobed and located on the stamen.

Axillary: The inflorescence is growing in the angle between a leaf and the stem.

Basifixed: Attached by the base, e.g. an anther attached to the filament. Compare dorsifixed.

Bract: Modified and reduced leaf-like structure usually found at the base of flowers or flower stalks.

Calyx: The collective term for the sepals (the outer whorl of floral parts).

Closed Forest: Area dominated by closely growing trees such that there is insufficient light for understory to grow e.g., rainforest.

Cluster: An indeterminate group of flowers with no obvious arrangement.

Concolourous: A leaf is concolourous when both the upper and lower surfaces are the same colour.

Corolla: The collective term used for the petals of a flower. In most Loranthaceae mistletoes the corolla is at least partially united and forms a tube in the mature bud.

Curvinerved: The main veins of the leaf are curved throughout their length.

Diad: An obvious group of two flowers arising from a common stalk (peduncle).

Dorsifixed: Attached by the back (compare basifixed). Usually refers to anthers.

Ellipsoidal: A mature fruit that is oval rather than spherical.

Epicortical: External to the bark of the host stem.

Family: A higher taxonomic grouping comprised of a group of related genera and distinguished from other families by clear morphological characters. In this key there are only two families – Loranthaceae and Santalaceae. These can easily be separated using floral characters.

Foliaceous: Leaf-like. Refers to a bract (see above) that is enlarged to become almost leaf like. A pair may partly or fully enclose the flowers.

Globular: A mature fruit that is spherical in shape.

Habitat: The environment in which the plant lives, i.e. woodland, forest, scrub.

Haustoria: The swollen connection between the mistletoe and its’ host.

Hyperparasite: Mistletoe that parasitises another mistletoe. Technically this includes mistletoes growing on Santalum and other Santalaceae taxa, but for the purposes of this key it refers to one mistletoe growing on another aerial mistletoe.

Inflorescence: A group of flowers in a specific location on the plant.

Internode: The section of stem between the nodes.

Mistletoe: A stem parasite of trees, shrubs or other mistletoes.

Node: The point on a stem from which leaves and/or flowers arise.

Number of Floral Parts: The number of petals, or the number of sepals, that form the corolla. The stamens may or may not equal this number.

Open forest: Area dominated by trees but where the canopy allows enough light through for a vigorous grassy or shrubby understory.

Opposite: The leaves arise in pairs opposite each other from a common node.

Ovary: The portion of the female part of the flower that contains the ovules. Found at the base of the flower either below or above the calyx attachment point.

Parallel: The leaf veins run side by side without meeting.

Peduncle: The stalk of the inflorescence.

Pedicel: The stalk of an individual flower. May arise from a junction with the peduncle or directly from the stem.

Pedicellate: Having a stalk (pedicel).

Pendulous: The bulk of the plant hanging below the point of attachment (haustoria).

Penninerved: The lateral veins divergent from the midrib and parallel to each other. Similar to the barbs of a feather.

Petiole: The leaf stalk.

Raceme: An inflorescence in which the flowers are arranged along a single main axis (a rachis) with each flower stalked (pedicellate).

Reticulate: The veins of the leaf have a net like appearance.

Runners: In mistletoes, rootlike structures that, if they grow outside the hosts’ bark are epicortical runners.

Scrub and Heath: Area dominated by scattered low growing shrubs. Typical of the arid centre of Australia.

Sepals: The outermost whorl of flower parts- usually green and flattish. Outside the petals.

Sessile: Without a stalk.

Shrubland: Area dominated by medium sized shrubs e.g., Acacia.

Spike: An unbranched inflorescence in which the flowers are arranged along a single axis and the flowers are not stalked (sessile).

Style: The stalk that connects the stigma to the ovary.

Stigma: The female receptive area at the top of the style. Usually swollen and sticky.

Tepals: If it is not clear if a structure is a petal or sepal- then it is called a tepal.

Terete: Cylindrical; round in cross-section.

Terminal: A inflorescence growing at the tip of a shoot, or between two shoots. The latter at first glance appears to be axillary but is terminal to the original shoot.

Tetrad: An obvious group of four flowers arising from a common stalk (peduncle).

Triad: An obvious group of three flowers arising from a common stalk (peduncle).

Umbel: An inflorescence in which individual flower stalks (pedicels) arise from a common point.

Venation: The arrangement of the veins within the leaf.

Whorled: Several leaves arise from a single node.

Woodland: Area with scattered trees and shrubs and an herbaceous or grassy understory e.g. savanna.