Amylotheca Explained

Amylotheca is a genus of hemi-parasitic aerial shrubs in the family Loranthaceae, found in Borneo, Malaysia, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Australia (in New South Wales and Queensland), Sumatra, Thailand, Vanuatu, and Philippines

Description

The genus Amylotheca is distinguished from other Australian Loranthaceae genera by having

• Petals which are united to the middle or higher
• Six petals
• A straight corolla tube
• epicortical runners
• inflorescences usually a raceme of triads on a single raceme.

Species

Accepted species according to Plants of the world online

• Amylotheca acuminatifolia Barlow
• Amylotheca dictyophleba (F.Muell.) Tiegh.
• Amylotheca duthieana (King) Danser
• Amylotheca subumbellata Barlow

Reference:

Recent Publication

• Amylotheca cleofei Tandang, Galindon & A.S.Rob.

Ecology

An inventory of host plants for Amylotheca spp. is given by Downey

Taxonomy

Amylotheca is a member of the family Loranthaceae within the mistletoe order, Santalales. The name Amylotheca was first published by Philippe Édouard Léon Van Tieghem in 1895,

Etymology

The genus name, Amylotheca, derives from the Latin, amylum (starch), and theca (case), and refers to the starch cells in the locules of the ovary.