The open plant encyclopedia
Snap a photo or search by any name to see how to care for it, where it comes from, whether it's safe, and a 3D model you can turn.
The plants people record most in your country, and ones that grow there wild.
Filter by what you want to do, shape, origin, country, care and safety.
Arceuthobium laricis
Arceuthobium laricis, commonly known as larch dwarf mistletoe, is a species of flowering plant in the family Santalaceae. As with other species of dwarf mistletoe, A. laricis parasitizes several species of conifers, especially the western larch and mountain hemlock. Its geographic range largely coincides with the range of the western larch through the Pacific Northwest.
A. laricis significantly impacts the ecology of conifer forests where it occurs. Mistletoe infections decrease the vitality and reproductive rate of host trees, often leading to tree death. They induce the formation of witch's brooms on host trees, which serve as important microhabitats for wildlife and increase available fuel for wildfires. The species is also an important food source for birds and insects and is itself parasitized by two species of fungi.
A. laricis has a broad range through the Pacific Northwest, largely coinciding with the range of Larix occidentalis, through Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Idaho, and Montana. Its elevational range is 600–2300 m. This species is especially common on larch in northeastern Oregon and the Idaho panhandle. While considered "apparently secure" by NatureServeover its whole range, it is listed as vulnerable in British Columbia.
Fir dwarf mistletoe · American dwarf mistletoe · Apache dwarf mistletoe · Azores Dwarf Mistletoe · Southwestern white pine dwarf mistletoe · Sugar pine dwarf mistletoe · Western dwarf mistletoe · Limber pine dwarf mistletoe · Pinyon dwarf mistletoe · Douglas-fir dwarf mistletoe · Huachuca Mountain dwarf mistletoe · Coastal dwarf mistletoe
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Arceuthobium laricis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
