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Key to families | Table of families and genera

This text currently parallels The Jepson Manual: Vascular Plants of California, Second Edition that is now available at the University of California Press.

Text appearing in blue on this page will not appear in the printed book; it will be displayed only on the Web. Specimen numbers are hyperlinked to records in the Consortium of California Herbaria data view where possible. Taxa are hyperlinked to entries in the Jepson Interchange via the "[Online Interchange]" link.

 

PHORADENDRON MISTLETOE
Perennial, shrub, woody at least at base, glabrous or short-hairy.
Stem: generally > 20 cm, not angled, green, less often ± red.
Leaf: with blade or < 1 mm, scale-like.
Inflorescence: spikes, few- to many-flowered, peduncled; flowers ± sunken into axis.
Flower: perianth parts generally 3.
Staminate flower: anthers 2-chambered.
Pistillate flower: perianth parts persistent.
Fruit: ± 3–6 mm, ± spheric, 1-colored, white, pink, or ± red, bird-dispersed; pedicel 0.
n=14.
± 240 species: temperate, tropical America. (Greek: tree thief) [Kuijt 2003 Syst Bot Monogr 66:1–643]
Unabridged note: Phoradendron serotinum (DC.) A. Gray collected in TX for sale nationally in Christmas trade; other species similarly important locally. Plants at some sites (e.g., Pinnacles National Monument) don't conform to key(s) and/or descriptions, as to hosts and/or morphology (see Kuijt, 2003); such problems thus far unsolved, though minimized here.

Key to Phoradendron

1. Lf scale-like, < 1 mm

2. St canescent, especially at tip, ± red to green, rigid; spike with 1–3(7) fertile internodes; on (Larrea), Olnyea, Parkinsonia, Prosopis, Senegalia, Simmondsia;< 1200 m ..... P. californicum

2' St glabrous, ± green or yellow-green, not rigid; spike with 1(2) fertile internodes; on Calocedrus, Juniperus; 1300–2600 m ..... P. juniperinum

1' Lf with blade, generally 5–60 mm

3. Lf length generally > 3 × width, (5)10–25 mm, generally < 20 mm; stem glabrous; spike with generally 1 fertile internode, pistillate 2-flowered; on conifers ..... P. bolleanum

3' Lf length generally < 1.5 × width, 15–60 mm, generally > 20 mm; stem generally short-hairy, at least at tip; spike with 2–5(7) fertile internodes, pistillate 6–15(20)-flowered; on woody plants except conifers ..... P. serotinum

4. Lf <= 6 cm, width <= 5 cm; leaf yellow-green, generally shiny ..... subsp. macrophyllum

4' Lf <= 3 cm, width <= 2 cm; leaf gray-green, dull ..... subsp. tomentosum

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Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) [year] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [accessed on month, day, year]
Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].
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