Leafy Mistletoes
Forest Health Guide for Georgia Foresters
Written by Terry Price, Georgia Forestry Commission
Adapted for the web by the Bugwood Network
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The leafy mistletoes are in the genus Phoradendron. They are popular around Christmas due to folk tales that attribute them with mystical powers. Most are parasitic on hardwoods. Leafy mistletoes have chlorophyll and can manufacture their own food, however, they use various hosts to extract water and minerals. Leafy mistletoes are spread to other areas of the tree when their sticky seeds drop to branches below. Also, birds and other tree dwelling animals can spread the seeds. The seeds germinate on the branch and penetrate the branch by their root-like structures called haustoria. Branches usually swell around these points of attachment. The haustoria can grow through the branch sending up more leafy tufts of new growth several feet away from the original plant. They appear as green streaks or specks in the
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wood. Trees heavily infested with mistletoe fail to thrive and can be seriously damaged or killed (Figure 147). The most effective way to get rid of mistletoe is to prune off infested branches. Since the haustoria may extend three feet down the branch, care should be taken to prune off the branch at least three feet below the mistletoe plant. Another less popular method is to cut the individual plants away from the branch and then wrap several feet of the branch in a black plastic to retard the sprouting of new plants from the imbedded haustoria.
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Figure 147
photo by Edward L. Barnard |
The plant growth regulator ethephon [(2-chloroethyl) phosphonic acid], is registered for control of leafy mistletoe. It can be applied to individual bunches of mistletoe in the fall after leaf fall or in early spring before leaf out. For best results, ethephon should be applied when the daytime temperature is above 65°F and there is no forecast of rain for the next 24 hours. More than one application may be needed to effectively control mistletoe.
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