Phoradendron californicum

Desert mistletoe, Desert Mistletoe

Family: Viscaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Desert mistletoe is a California native perennial found in western Transverse Ranges and desert bioregions on desert landscapes at elevations below 1,200 meters. Flowering from January to March, this plant produces white to red-pink flowers on small fertile branches. Growing with erect to spreading stems 4 to 10 decimeters tall that range from reddish to green and become increasingly glabrous with age. Its leaves are extremely reduced, appearing as tiny scale-like structures less than one millimeter long. The fruit is approximately 3 millimeters long, white to red-pink in color.

Habitat: Desert, on

Bloom period: Jan-Mar

Elevation: < 1200 m

Bioregions: WTR, D

California counties: Riverside, San Bernardino, Inyo, Imperial, San Diego, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Napa

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.