Mistletoe

By Paige Heilman

Common Information

1300 species

The Dwarf Mistletoe (Arceuthobium pusillum)

The American Mistletoe

Hemi-parasites

Yellowish, white

“Dung on a twig”

Life Cycle

Symptoms Branch swelling

Upper tree leaf lossWitch’s brooms

Effects

Top kill of trees

Stunt in growth

Death of treesDistortions of limbs

Prevention

Pruning and removing trees

Ethephon

Clear cut

Ponderosa Pine Dwarf Mistletoe

Arceuthobium camylopodum

Western Region

Ponderosa pines and Lodgepole pines

Shoot height 3-8 cm

Fan-like branches

Lodgepole Pine Dwarf Mistletoe

Arceuthobium americanum

Lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, whitebark pine

Shoot height 5-9 cm

Whorl-like branching

Montana, Colorado, and Wyoming

Douglas Fir Dwarf MistletoeArceuthobium douglasii

Douglas fir and Douglas white fir

Shoot height 2 cm

Fan-like branching

Western region

Limber Pine Dwarf MistletoeArceuthobium cyanocarpum

Limber pine, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, southwestern white pine

Shoot height 3 cm

Fan-like branching

Western except Washington

Hemlock dwarf mistletoeArceuthobium tsugense

Western hemlock

Oregon, Washington, and north Californina

Shoot height 3 cm

Fan-like branching

Works CitedPuckett, Catherine. "Not Just for Kissing: Mistletoe and Birds, Bees, and Other Beasts." U.S. Geological Survey. USGS. October, 2 2009. Web. 26 Nov 2012. <http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/special/mistletoe/default.asp>

Hennon, Paul. "Hemlock Dwarf Mistletoe." U.S Forest Service. U. S. Department of Agriculture, n.d. Web. 26 Nov 2012. <http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r10/communityforests/?cid=fsbdev2_038350>

Works Cited Continued

Koski, R.D. "Mistletoes in Colorado Conifers." Colorado State University Extension. N.p., 3 2012. Web. 26 Nov 2012. <http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/02925.html>.