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Phoradendron californicum Nutt.

Desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassMagnoliopsidaDicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
SubclassRosidaeRoses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
OrderSantalalesMostly parasitic plants without a testa,
FamilyViscaceaeMistletoes
GenusPhoradendronMistletoes
Speciescalifornicum“From California”

About plant names...

Desert mistletoe is native to desert regions of southwestern North America. It is hemiparasitic, getting some energy from photosynthesis and water and nutrients from a host plant.

Plants: From a distance, desert mistletoe looks a little like a weird bird’s nest—a concentrated, green or reddish-brown, vaguely spherical blob of small woody branchlets sus­pended in a tree. Many such blobs, each up to 3′ (1 m) or so in size, may inhabit a single tree. Stems are silvery-green at first, finely hairy; later becoming hairless and green to reddish green.

Leaves: Practically nonexistent, 1/32-1/16″ (1-2.5 mm) long, pressed flat against stems, quickly drying to appear as scales.

Flowers: Inconspicuous yellowish flowers appear during the winter.

Fruits: Copious, white to reddish, glabrous, about ⅛″ (5 mm) around when fresh, shrinking to ⅛″ (3 mm) later, turning translucent when ripe. They spread themselves by explosive dehiscence. If you have an image of small seed grenades going off, you have the right idea.

Edibility: Poisonous Skull & Crossbones. Plants contain phoratoxins that increase blood pressure, cause convulsions, or cause cardiac arrest. Berries, however, are edible, provided the mistletoe is harvested from mesquite, ironwood, or catclaw acacia. Berries growing on palo verdes or desert buckthorn are inedible, presumably because of toxins absorbed from the host trees. Berries from safe trees are harvested when they turn translucent. They may be consumed raw, boiled or mashed into a pudding, or boiled to a paste with a bit of potash added.

Online References:

CalPhotos

Wikipedia

SEINet—the Southwest Environmental Information Network

Southeastern Arizona Wildflowers and the Plants of the Sonoran Desert

Phoradendron californicum (desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia

Phoradendron californicum (desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe)

4/29/2018 · Red Spring Calico Basin, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada

Phoradendron californicum (desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm)

Phoradendron californicum (desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe)

4/29/2018 · Red Spring Calico Basin, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada

Phoradendron californicum (desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe)

5/3/2018 · Park Blvd, Joshua Tree National Park, Cali­fornia · By Susan M. Kent

Phoradendron californicum (desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe)

4/29/2018 · Red Spring Calico Basin, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)

Phoradendron californicum (desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe)

4/29/2018 · Red Spring Calico Basin, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada

Phoradendron californicum (desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe)

4/29/2018 · Red Spring Calico Basin, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada

Phoradendron californicum (desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm)

Phoradendron californicum Nutt. var. distans Trel.

Phoradendron californicum Nutt. var. leucocarpum (Trel.) Jeps.

 

Phoradendron californicum description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 7 Oct 2021.

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Phoradendron californicum (desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia · ≈ 17 × 12″ (44 × 29 cm)

Phoradendron californicum (desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm)

Phoradendron californicum (desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe)

8/26/2014 · La Ventana Natural Arch, El Malpais, New Mex­ico

Phoradendron californicum (desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia · ≈ 2 × 1′ (62 × 41 cm)

Phoradendron californicum (desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe)

5/3/2018 · Park Blvd., Joshua Tree National Park · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm)

Phoradendron californicum (desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe)

4/29/2018 · Red Spring Calico Basin, Red Rock Canyon, Nevada · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)

Phoradendron californicum (desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia · ≈ 17 × 12″ (44 × 29 cm)

Phoradendron californicum (desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia

Phoradendron californicum (desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe)

5/3/2018 · Park Blvd, Joshua Tree National Park, Cali­fornia · By Susan M. Kent

Phoradendron californicum (desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe)

4/30/2018 · Barber Peak Loop Trail, Mojave National Preserve, Cali­fornia

Phoradendron californicum (desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe)

8/26/2014 · La Ventana Natural Arch, El Malpais, New Mex­ico · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (47 × 31 cm)

Phoradendron californicum (desert mistletoe, mesquite mistletoe)

2/28/2010 · Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cali­fornia

Range:

About this map...