Mistletoes are fascinating, diverse, colourful and ecologically important plants, found in most parts of Western Australia.
Mistletoes of Western Australia is a guide to their identification, ecology, conservation, biogeography and evolution, including how they cope with fire. The book explores the relevance of mistletoes to the biodiversity of the communities in which they live, and provides information on their hosts and simple identification keys to species. Each species is described in simple terms and illustrated with a photo of the species and a map of its known distribution in Western Australia.
Featuring seven genera and 42 species, this comprehensive illustrated guide will be essential for botanists, conservationists and anyone interested in Australian flora.
Acknowledgements
Preface
1. Introduction
2. Parasitic plants: an overview
3. Reproduction
4. Do mistletoes have roots?
5. Host variety
6. Do mistletoes mimic their hosts?
7. Fire and other threats
8. Biogeography of Western Australia’s mistletoes
9. The relevance of mistletoes
10. Keys to mistletoe families, genera and species in Western Australia
11. Species accounts
Loranthaceae
Santalaceae
Checklist and broad distribution records of Western Australian mistletoes
Glossary
References and further reading
Index
Antony (Tony) Start is a Research Associate at the Western Australian Herbarium, specialising in mistletoes, and a former Western Australia National Parks manager. His interest in mistletoes started as a youth in Kenya and was rekindled when he realised their potential as indicators of areas with mild fire histories.
Kevin Thiele is a botanical taxonomist who has worked with many groups of Australian plants including Banksia, Viola, Hibbertia and the family Rhamnaceae. He was the head of the Western Australian Herbarium for more than a decade.