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Native Plant Database

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Phoradendron tomentosum (Christmas mistletoe)
Marcus, Joseph A.

Phoradendron tomentosum (DC.) Engelm. ex Gray

Christmas mistletoe, Mistletoe, Injerto

Viscaceae (Christmas Mistletoe Family)

USDA Symbol: phto2

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

An evergreen shrub parasitic on trees. Widely used in the United States as a Christmas decoration. Stems smooth, green, brittle. Leaf blades thick, leathery, roughly elliptic, up to 2 inches long and 1 1/8 inches wide, with smooth margins, a rounded tip, and tapered base. Plants male or female, easily distinguished in winter by shiny, white berries 3/16 inch wide on the female, and spikes of greenish yellow flowers on the male. Especially common on Sugar Hackberry (Celtis laevigata), Cedar Elm (Ulmus crassifolia), and Honey Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa), also on other trees.

 

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Subshrub
Flower:
Fruit:

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow , Green

Distribution

USA: LA , OK , TX
USDA Native Status: L48(N)

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is either on display or available from the following:

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX
Patsy Glenn Refuge - Wimberley, TX
Texas Master Naturalists - Lost Pines Chapter - Bastrop, TX

Herbarium Specimen(s)

NPSOT 0550 Collected Jan 2, 1988 in Bexar County by Harry Cliffe
NPSOT 0373 Collected Mar 7, 1993 in Comal County by Mary Beth White

Bibliography

Bibref 1207 - Earth Medicine, Earth Food (1990) Michael A. Weiner
Bibref 417 - Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America (2000) Foster, S. & J. A. Duke
Bibref 354 - Native & Naturalized Woody Plants of Austin & the Hill Country (1981) Lynch, D.
Bibref 1208 - The New Healing Herbs (1995) Michael Castleman

Search More Titles in Bibliography

From the Archive

Wildflower Newsletter 1987 VOL. 4, NO.4 - Wildflower Center Sows Seeds for the Country, Hotline for Texas, New Goals Plans...

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Phoradendron tomentosum in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Phoradendron tomentosum in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Phoradendron tomentosum

Metadata

Record Modified: 2012-11-17
Research By: TWC Staff

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