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western white pine dwarf mistletoe
Scientific Name: Arceuthobium monticola
Family: Viscaceae
Category: Dicot
Growth: Shrub, Subshrub
Duration: Perennial
Other Names:
Western White Pine Dwarf Mistletoe
This page provides information about the western white pine dwarf mistletoe, a parasitic plant found primarily in western North America.
Scientific and Common Names
- Scientific Name: Arceuthobium monticola
- Synonyms: Arceuthobium campylopodum
- Common Name: Western white pine dwarf mistletoe
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- Rank: Species
- Grown habit: Shrub, Subshrub
- Duration: Perennial
Distribution and Habitat
- Arceuthobium monticola is endemic to the Klamath Mountains of northern California.
- It's found in the Siskiyou Mountains of northern California and southern Oregon.
- It is associated with western white pine (Pinus monticola).
Morphological Characteristics
- Dwarf mistletoe shoots vary in size; Douglas-fir dwarf mistletoe shoots are about 2.5 cm long.
Ecological Role
- Western white pine dwarf mistletoe is a parasitic plant that infects western white pine trees.
- Infections can cause large witches' brooms on the host tree, especially in Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, western larch, and hemlock.
- Mortality of whitebark pine caused by this dwarf mistletoe on Mount Shasta, California, is as high as 58%.
Interactions with other Organisms
- It is known to cause witches' brooms in trees which may then be used by wildlife.
Further Information
- Discover Life offers a page about the biology, natural history, ecology, identification, and distribution of Arceuthobium monticola.