American Mistletoe
Pretty much ignored until Christmastime, American mistletoe (also called oak mistletoe) is a very interesting member of the sandalwood family. It is hemiparasitic, meaning it not only makes food like typical green-leaved plant with chlorophyll, but since it grows high in (mostly) oak trees, it actually steals some of its nutrients directly from the branches it attaches itself to! This species is widely found across Mexico, the southern United States, California and parts of Oregon. This one was photographed in Harlingen, Texas on a hot spring afternoon in the Rio Grande Valley.
- Copyright
- ©2022
- Image Size
- 7360x4912 / 23.2MB
- https://www.leightonphotography.com
- Keywords
-
American mistletoe, Angiosperms, Cameron County, Eudicots, Harlingen, Phoradendron, Phoradendron leucarpum, Plantae, RGV, Rio Grande Valley, Santalaceae, Santalales, Texas, Thicket World Birding Center, Tracheophytes, Viscaceae, arboreal, eastern mistletoe, epiphyte, evergreen, green, hairy mistletoe, leaves, mistletoe, native, natural, nature, oak mistletoe, parasitic, shrub, spring, tree, wild, wilderness
- Contained in galleries
- Santalaceae (Sandalwood and Mistletoe Family)
