A-Z Index
Statewide
zzusis
WSU Home
WSU Extension
Hortsense
Hortsense Home
|
Hortsense fact sheets
| Common Diseases
| Dwarf mistletoe
Common Diseases
Armillaria root rot
Botrytis blight (Gray mold)
Cankers
Crown gall
Damping-off
Dead roots
Dodder
Downy mildew
Dwarf mistletoe
Galls
Leaf spots and blights
Nectria cankers
Phytophthora root rot
Powdery mildew
Pseudomonas bacterial canker
Root rots
Rusts
Sclerotinia white mold
Sudden oak death
Tubercularia canker
Verticillium wilt
Viruses
print version
|
pdf version
|
email url
Caption: Dwarf mistletoe
Photo by: R.S. Byther
Common Diseases : Dwarf mistletoe
(revision date: 4/30/2013)
Use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for successful plant problem management.
Biology
Dwarf mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows on the branches or occasionally on the trunk of a host tree, such as Douglas-fir, true firs, larch, pine, and junipers. It is yellow-green, olive-green, or somewhat reddish in color and grows in clusters. The tree's branches become swollen and spindle-shaped at the infection site, and may develop witches' brooms. Severe infestations can greatly reduce growth of the host tree, sometimes causing dieback or death. However, since dwarf mistletoe survival depends on the survival of the host plant, death of entire trees is fairly uncommon. Dwarf mistletoe spreads by seeds.
Management Options
Non-Chemical Management
Remove mistletoe from host tree by pruning out witches' brooms or hand-picking the parasite.
Select non-chemical management options as your first choice!
Chemical Management
IMPORTANT:
Visit Home and Garden Fact Sheets for more information on using pesticides
None recommended
Images
+ Show larger images
Caption: Dwarf mistletoe
Photo by: R.S. Byther