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Viscaceae family

Western Spruce Dwarf Mistletoe Arceuthobium microcarpum

Native

Western Spruce Dwarf Mistletoe is a perennial shrub native to the lower 48 states.

More about this plant

Arceuthobium microcarpum is a species of flowering plant in the family Santalaceae endemic to the coniferous forests of Arizona and New Mexico. As with other species of dwarf mistletoe, A. microcarpum parasitizes several species of conifers, relying on the host plant for water and nutrients. There are two subspecies: A. microcarpum subsp. microcarpum, commonly known as western spruce dwarf mistletoe, which parasitizes spruce trees, and A. microcarpum subsp. aristatae, commonly known as bristlecone pine dwarf mistletoe, which parasitizes bristlecone pine trees. Because of its extremely limited range, A. microcarpum is considered an imperiled species. Wikipedia →

Growing & care

USDA PLANTS · TRY
Conditions
Sources · Conditions
Cold hardiness (derived) — Hardiness
Hardiness
≥ zone 8 derived from its U.S. range
Size & form
Sources · Size & form
USDA PLANTS — Lifespan
Lifespan
Perennial
In the garden
Shrub layer — Sits in the shrub of a layered food forest or polyculture.Open guide →
derived roles
Species characteristics from USDA PLANTS (public domain) + TRY (CC BY) — general guidance, not a guarantee for your exact site. Deer "browsing" is documented palatability, not a deer-proof claim.

Wildlife & pollinators

How pollinator value is scored →
❧ Caterpillar hosts Documented caterpillar host
Named species (a documented Nearctic sample, not exhaustive) from NHM HOSTS (CC0).
Species thumbnails re-hosted from iNaturalist — Creative Commons, credited per image (hover for credit). Click any species to see it on iNaturalist. Not exhaustive; many taxa have no openly-licensed photo yet.
Sources for this entry (10) Open & cited
[01] Scientific name & family — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503)
[02] Growth habit & duration — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503)
[03] Native status & distribution — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503)
[04] Common name — USDA PLANTS (via GBIF)
[05] Invasive / introduced status — USDA PLANTS (DwCA, Zenodo 17903503) — native status
[07] Description — Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
[08] Ecological value — GloBI
[09] Cold hardiness (derived) — Derived from U.S. range × USDA PHZM zones
[10] Caterpillar species — NHM HOSTS (CC0)
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PlantKey’s data is open under CC BY-SA 4.0 — free to reuse and adapt, with attribution and the same licence. Photos keep their own per-image licence + credit (see Sources above).

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