Promoted
Desert mistletoe or Phorodendron californicum
This was in a Palo Verde tree. The plant is a hemiparasite, which means it carries out photosynthesis in its green stems while obtaining additional nutrients and water from the host plant it grows on which commonly are mesquite, palo verde, and ironwood .
It is a slow tree killer. Death to a tree usually happens only when several clusters of mistletoe overtake the tree, or when the tree is weakened by other diseases or by a lack of water. It robs the tree of water, nutrients and weakens its immune system.
''Phoradendron californicum'', the desert mistletoe or mesquite mistletoe, is a hemiparasitic plant native to southern California, Nevada, Arizona, Sonora, Sinaloa and Baja California. It can be found in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts at elevations of up to 1400 m .
The mistletoe is a leafless plant that attaches to host plants, often leguminous woody desert trees such as ''Cercidium'' and ''Prosopis''. Desert mistletoe takes water and minerals from its host plants but it does its own.. more
comments (1)