Arceuthobium douglasii facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Arceuthobium douglasii |
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Arceuthobium
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douglasii
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Arceuthobium douglasii is a small plant known as Douglas fir dwarf mistletoe. It is a type of dwarf mistletoe. This plant grows in forests across western North America. You can find it from British Columbia in Canada all the way to Texas and California in the United States. It mostly lives on Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) trees. Sometimes, it can also be found on other fir (Abies spp.) trees.
Douglas Fir Dwarf Mistletoe
What It Looks Like
This mistletoe is a greenish shrub. You can see its scaly stems sticking out from the bark of its host tree. Most of the mistletoe plant is actually hidden inside the tree. It connects to the tree using special parts called haustoria. These haustoria act like tiny straws. They help the mistletoe take water and nutrients from the host tree. The leaves of the mistletoe are very small. They look like scales on its surface.
How It Grows and Spreads
Douglas fir dwarf mistletoe has separate male and female plants. This is called being dioecious. The male plants produce spikes with tiny male flowers. The female plants produce spikes with tiny female flowers.
After the flowers, the female plants grow small, sticky berries. These berries are only a few millimeters long. When they are ripe, the berries explode! This explosion helps to spread the seeds. The seeds can fly several meters away from the parent plant and its host tree. This is how the mistletoe spreads to new trees.
See also
In Spanish: Arceuthobium douglasii para niños
