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Western spruce dwarf mistletoe

Arceuthobium microcarpum

Western spruce dwarf mistletoe
Photo: Michael Tidwell (iNaturalist user @mchief), CC BY 4.0
Family
Viscaceae (Visc family)
Grows as
Tree
Native range
Arizona to New Mexico
Climate
temperate

About

Arceuthobium microcarpum is a species of flowering plant in the family Santalaceae endemic to the coniferous forests of Arizona and New Mexico. As with other species of dwarf mistletoe, A. microcarpum parasitizes several species of conifers, relying on the host plant for water and nutrients. There are two subspecies: A. microcarpum subsp. microcarpum, commonly known as western spruce dwarf mistletoe, which parasitizes spruce trees, and A. microcarpum subsp. aristatae, commonly known as bristlecone pine dwarf mistletoe, which parasitizes bristlecone pine trees. Because of its extremely limited range, A. microcarpum is considered an imperiled species.

A. microcarpum significantly impacts the ecology of the coniferous forests, including by reducing the vitality, reproductive rate, and lifespan of host trees.

Where it grows

A. microcarpum is a high elevation species, occurring in conifer forests at elevations of 2400–3200 meters. Unlike its host species, which extend northward through the Rocky Mountains, A. microcarpum occurs only in Arizona and New Mexico.

Other Arceuthobium plants

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 · Larch dwarf mistletoe

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Arceuthobium microcarpum 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.

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