Arceuthobium americanum

Nuttall ex Engelmann

Boston J. Nat. Hist. 6. 214. 1850.

Common names: Lodgepole pine dwarf mistletoe
IllustratedEndemic
Synonyms: Razoumofskya americana (Nuttall ex Engelmann) Kuntze
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 12. Treatment on page 425.

Plants usually forming systemic witches brooms, sometimes nonsystemic witches brooms in secondary hosts. Stems yellowish to olive green; secondary branching whorled, branches 5–9 (–30) cm, third internode 6–23 × 1–2 mm, dominant shoot 1–3 mm diam. at base. Staminate pedicels present. Staminate flowers radially symmetric, subglobose in bud, 2.2 mm diam.; petals 3 (–4), same color as stems. Berries proximally olive green, distally yellowish to reddish-brown, 3.5–4.5 × 1.5–2.5 mm. Seeds ellipsoid, 2.4 × 1.1 mm, endosperm green. 2n = 28.


Phenology: Flowering (Mar–)Apr–Jun; fruiting Aug–Sep.
Habitat: Coniferous forests, especially with jack or lodgepole pine.
Elevation: 200–3400 m.

Distribution

V12 255-distribution-map.jpg

Alta., B.C., Man., Ont., Sask., Calif., Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nev., Oreg., Utah, Wash., Wyo.

Discussion

Meiosis occurs in August, with fruits maturing 16 months after pollination; seeds germinate in May.

The principal hosts of Arceuthobium americanum are Pinus contorta var. latifolia in western North America, P. contorta var. murrayana in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges of the western United States, and P. banksiana in western Canada. A study utilizing AFLPs (C. A. Jerome and B. A. Ford 2002) documented that the parasite exists as three genetic races that correspond to these host species. Arceuthobium americanum has the most extensive geographic range of any species of the genus, and can utilize other species as secondary hosts, including P. albicaulis, P. flexilis, P. jeffreyi, and P. ponderosa, as well as a number of rare hosts. Although young infections may be localized, A. americanum eventually forms massive systemic witches’ brooms. Interestingly, when parasitizing some secondary hosts, the brooms may become nonsystemic, possibly indicating partial breakdown of coordinated developmental pathways.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Arceuthobium americanum"
Daniel L. Nickrent +
Nuttall ex Engelmann +
distally yellowish +  and reddish-brown +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.45 cm4.5 mm <br />0.0045 m <br />) +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (?) +
scale-like +
9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (?) +  and 9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br /> (?) +
Lodgepole pine dwarf mistletoe +
spikelike +
Alta. +, B.C. +, Man. +, Ont. +, Sask. +, Calif. +, Colo. +, Idaho +, Mont. +, Nev. +, Oreg. +, Utah +, Wash. +  and Wyo. +
200–3400 m. +
globose +  and pyriform +
2.2 cm22 mm <br />0.022 m <br /> (?) +
subglobose +
Coniferous forests, especially with jack or lodgepole pine. +
terminal +  and axillary +
bisexual +  and unisexual +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
connate +
scale-like +
pinnate +  and entire +
articulated +
asymmetric +  and symmetric +
connate +  and distinct +
deltate +  and triangular +
Flowering (Mar–)Apr–Jun +  and fruiting Aug–Sep. +
2[-3]-carpellate +
Boston J. Nat. Hist. +
mucilaginous +
2.4 cm24 mm <br />0.024 m <br /> (?) +
ellipsoid +
1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br /> (?) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
3 +  and 4 +
yellowish;olive green +
pendulous +  and erect +
fanlike +
undifferentiated +
Razoumofskya americana +
Arceuthobium americanum +
Arceuthobium +
species +
spikelike +
mucilaginous +
evergreen +  and perennial +