Habit: Perennial herb, shrub, glabrous.
Stem: generally < 20 cm, +- angled at least when young, +- yellow, +- green, brown, purple; branches whorled or in 1 plane.
Leaf: < 1 mm, scale-like.
Inflorescence: generally spikes, peduncle short; flowers generally opposite, 4-ranked, less often whorled or 1, terminal.
Staminate Flower: perianth parts generally 3--4; anthers +- 1-chambered.
Pistillate Flower: perianth parts 2, persistent, minute.
Fruit: generally 2--5 mm, broadly fusiform-spheric, 2-colored (1 color below, 1 above); pedicel short, recurved; seeds projected to 15 m by fruit explosion.
Species In Genus: 26 species: temperate, tropics northern hemisphere.
Etymology: (Greek: juniper, life)
Note: Most important of timber pathogens; most species cause abnormal branching (witches' brooms) in hosts. Recent molecular studies support reunification of many western North American species under
Arceuthobium campylopodum.
Jepson eFlora Author: Job Kuijt
Reference: Nickrent et al. 2004 Amer J Bot 91:125--138
Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange)Key to Arceuthobium
Previous taxon: ViscaceaeNext taxon: Arceuthobium americanum