Southwestern White Pine Dwarf Mistletoe Arceuthobium blumeri

Arceuthobium blumeri, commonly known as Blumer's dwarf mistletoe or southwestern white pine dwarf mistletoe, is a species of dwarf mistletoe. It is a parasitic plant that grows as a small shrub on the branches and trunk of pine trees in the Section Strobus from southeastern Arizona to northern Mexico. In turn, A. blumeri is sometimes parasitized by fungi and provides food for animals, although little is known about its associations with other species. This species is ecologically important because of the negative impact of infection by A. blumeri on host trees and because the witch's brooms this species induces on its hosts are important microhabitats. Wikipedia →