Mistletoe
Mistletoes are arboreal parasites of woody plants – sounds scary, doesn’t it? It is true that mistletoes damage trees (to a greater or lesser extent), but they also provide food for birds and even are considered attractive by some people.
In our new publication (http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7437.html),
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Mistletoe Management Guidelines--UC IPM Broadleaf mistletoe (Phoradendron macrophyllum) is an evergreen parasitic plant that grows on a number of landscape tree species in California.Hosts of broadleaf mistletoe include alder, Aristocrat flowering pear, ash, birch, box elder, cottonwood, locust, silver maple, walnut, and zelkova. ipm.ucanr.edu |
We start the PestNote by covering the basics:
- “What kind of a life-form are mistletoes?” They are hemiparasites – they perform their own photosynthesis, but they “steal” water and even sometime some sugar, from the tree on which they are growing.
- “What kinds of mistletoes do we see in California and where?” There are two groups: the broadleaf mistletoes, which grow primarily on broadleaf trees, and dwarf mistletoes, which are more damaging and are found only on conifers. The PestNote covers the identification in more detail (spoiler: it is not difficult!), and discusses the important differences between the two groups of mistletoe, as well as the fascinating lifecycles of the two types of mistletoes.
- “What should be done about mistletoe in a tree?” Well, for that you will have to consult the PestNote! We discuss in some detail the damage that mistletoes can cause, and the options that homeowners and municipalities have in managing mistletoes.
Pest Note link: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7437.html