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Abstract

Mistletoe is an angiospermic plant famous for its shoot hemi-parasitizes activity of higher plant species. It parasitize thousands of vascular plant species and depend almost entirely on their tree hosts for water and nutrients. Their damaging effects are growth reduction, branch distortions, and decreased longevity. All mistletoes take water and nutrients by tapping the host xylem but differ in their dependence on the host for carbon. Dwarf mistletoes (Arceuthobium spp.) are considered to be mainly heterotrophic, tapping the host phloem for carbon compounds. It is an obligate parasite with an endophytic 'root' system that infects trees and shrubs of the family Cupressaceae. The aim of this review is to cover the basic concepts of dwarf mistletoes and its host range for family Cupressaceae.
Keywords: Angiospermic parasite; Cupressaceae; dwarf mistletoe
http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2015.41003