Phoradendron leucarpum subsp. tomentosum

Family: Viscaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Mistletoe is a native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern California Coast Ranges, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, Central Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, southern Coast Ranges, southern California, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, and Mojave Desert at elevations of 60 to 2,100 meters. Flowering from July to September, this plant produces pale green to white flowers in small clusters. Growing with stems typically reaching 80 centimeters long, it develops a distinctive grayish-green, dull foliage with leaves up to 3 centimeters long and 2 centimeters wide. Its compact, branching structure allows it to grow as a parasitic plant on host tree branches. The plant forms dense, rounded clusters that attach directly to tree limbs, creating characteristic globe-like growths in woodland and forest environments.

Habitat: Generally on

Bloom period: Jul-Sep

Elevation: 60-2100 m

Bioregions: KR, NCoR, CaR, SN, GV, SnFrB, SCoR, SCo, TR, PR, DMoj

California counties: Kern, Fresno, San Bernardino, Marin, Sacramento, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, San Benito, Riverside, Butte, Los Angeles, Tulare, Santa Barbara, Mariposa, Ventura, Monterey, Sierra, San Diego, Imperial, Tehama, El Dorado, Amador, Madera, Napa, Yolo, Colusa, Sonoma, Nevada, Yuba, Lake, Sutter, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Orange

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