Arceuthobium pusillum
Eastern dwarf mistletoe
General Info
T
he Arceuthobium pusillum Peck, or
eastern dwarf mistletoe, is a parasitic, seed bearing, flowering plant
that infects mainly black, white, and red spruce coniferous tree
stands. The name Arceuthobium comes from the Latin words
Arkeuthos meaning juniper and Bios meaning life. The name
pusillum comes from the Latin word meaning very small
or little. So, one could say that the Latin translation of
Arceuthobium pusillum is, little juniper of life. The Taxonomical classification of the eastern dwarf mistletoe is
as follows:
Domain - Eukaryota
Organism in the Eukaryote
domain exhibit a membrane bound true nucleus.
Kingdom - Plantae
Organisms in the Plantae
kingdom are multicellular and produce energy through
photosynthesis.
Phylum - Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Organisms in the Magnoliophyta
phylum are angiosperms or flowering plants, these are the
most wide spread group of land plants.
Class - Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons)
Organisms in the Magnoliopsida
class are dicots which are flowering plants whose seeds
usually exhibit two embryonic leaves.
Order - Santalales
Organisms in the Santalales
order are distinguished by having a one-celled inferior
ovary
Family - Viscaceae
Organisms in the Viscaceae
family are parasitic plants on the branches of trees. They
have a single seed fruit berry and most exhibit a scale-like
leaf.
Genus - Arceuthobium
Organisms in the Arceuthobium
genera all induce a symptom called witch's broom in their
host, which is a cluttered growth of branches.
Species - Arceuthobium Pusillum
