Eastern Mistletoe (Phoradendron serotinum)

Online Biology Dictionary

Home | Search | Dictionary

Eastern Mistletoe
Phoradendron serotinum growing on the limb of a water oak in winter





Eastern Mistletoe, native to eastern North America, is a hemiparasite, that is, although it is a parasite, it produces some of its own nutrients by photosynthesis. The host is used mainly to obtain water and mineral nutrients.

mistletoe berries
Mistletoe berries
It has smooth-edged oval evergreen leaves which occur in pairs along the green stem. The waxy white berries grow in clusters of 10 or more.

P. serotinum seeds are spread mainly by birds. Birds eating fruit squeeze out the sticky seeds, which then adhere to branches and grow into new plants by grafting themselves into the vascular system of the host plant. Some seeds are also spread in bird excrement.

Order: Santalales.

Geographic Range: Eastern North America.

Back to Dictionary →

Home | Biology News | Biology Dictionary | Evolution Blog | Famous Biologists





© Macroevolution.net - All rights reserved