''Phoradendron villosum'' is a species of flowering plant in the sandalwood family known by the common names Pacific mistletoe and oak mistletoe. It is native to western North America from

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

south into Mexico, where it grows in oak woodland and similar habitat. This mistletoe is a

parasitic plant A parasitic plant is a plant that derives some or all of its nutritional requirements from another living plant. They make up about 1% of angiosperms and are found in almost every biome. All parasitic plants develop a specialized organ called the ...

on host trees, especially

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

species, and other trees and woody shrubs such as manzanitas,

California bay laurel ''Umbellularia californica'' is a large hardwood tree native to coastal forests and the Sierra foothills of California, and to coastal forests extending into Oregon. It is endemic to the California Floristic Province. It is the sole species in th ...

, and

sumac Sumac ( or ), also spelled sumach, is any of about 35 species of flowering plants in the genus ''Rhus'' and related genera in the cashew family (Anacardiaceae). Sumacs grow in subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world, including Eas ...

. It is a shrub producing many erect gray-green or yellow-green branches which may reach a meter long. Its stems are lined with pairs of hairy, oval, oppositely arranged leaves up to about 5 centimeters long by 2.5 wide. As a hemiparasite the mistletoe taps its host tree for water and nutrients but contains some chlorophyll and can

photosynthesize Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored in ...

some energy for itself as well. The plant is dioecious, with male and female individuals producing different forms of

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

; both are rough, elongated clusters of tiny flowers. Female flowers yield pale pink spherical or oval

berries A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, rasp ...

each 3 or 4 millimeters wide.

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
Parasitic plants villosum Flora of California Flora of Baja California Flora of Oregon Dioecious plants Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Santalales-stub