Friday, February 11, 2011

dwarf mistletoe on Monterey pine ~ 02/11/11 ~ Jacks Peak


western dwarf mistletoe on Monterey pine
Arceuthobium campylopodum on Pinus radiata
CNPS 8th Edition Inventory
Santalaceae (formerly Viscaceae) and Pinaceae

When I saw this I thought it was some kind of insect gall based on the swollen twig area. I figured once I got home, I'd easily be able to search Monterey pine galls and get my answer. However before I even got around to doing that and while I was looking up other plants for Jacks Peak, I noticed a picture that looked very similar to what I saw here. It's a mistletoe! Who knew mistletoes also created gall structures? See and learn something new every day, if I just bother to look.

2 comments:

Dejemonos sorprender said...

Waw, mistletoe.. that is great)) i nover saw.

Jeannette said...

yes...nature has parasites...I wonder how much damage it can cause?