Phoradendron leucarpum Calflora

Calflora, a 501c3 non-profit

Taxon Report

Phoradendron leucarpum (Raf.) Reveal & M.C. Johnst.

American mistletoe

Phoradendron leucarpum is a shrub (parasitic) that is native to California.


	Plant Range Observation Search ~840 records in California Plant Characteristics

Bloom Period

Photos on Calflora


Subspecies and Varieties:
... ssp. macrophyllum ... ssp. tomentosum
Genus:	Phoradendron
Family:	Viscaceae
Category:	angiosperm
PLANTS group:	Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Toxicity: Do not eat any part (esp. the flower) of this plant.

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + PLANTS + POWO

Alternate Names:


PLANTS	Phoradendron flavescens
JEF + PLANTS	Phoradendron serotinum

Information about Phoradendron leucarpum from other sources


Nursery availability from CNPLX Commercial availability unknown. Jepson eFlora Photos on Calflora Photos on CalPhotos Google Images Photos on iNaturalist ID Tips on PlantID.net	International Plants Names Index Search efloras.org (Flora of North America) Landscape information from Calscape Consortium of California Herbaria 2 Search the Native American Ethnobotany Database	Add an Observation Location Suitability Planting Guide Distribution by County
[Wikipedia} Toxicity to Humans: While the sticky substance covering the fruits is toxic to humans, it is a favorite of some birds. (link added by Mary Ann Machi) [Wikipedia} Host Trees: Over 60 species of trees are hosts to P. leucarpum, especially trees in the genera of Acer (maple), Fraxinus (ash), Juglans (walnuts), Nyssa, Platanus (plane trees), Populus (poplars), Quercus (oaks), Salix (willows), and Ulmus (elms).[2] (link added by Mary Ann Machi) photos / record / common / links

Suggested Citation

Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/ (Accessed: 03/28/2025).