Does Mistletoe Target Trees of different

Sizes in Ornamental Landscapes?

Presenter: Katarina Jackson

Co-Presenter(s):
Jessica Juarez, Josalyn Lopez

Presenter Status: Undergraduate student

Academic Year: 19-20

Semester: Spring

Faculty Mentor: Martha Shott

Department: Mathematics

Abstract:
Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows on tree branches and steals nutrients and water supply from the trees that it infects. As a result, mistletoe plants may slowly kill their host trees. It is important for land managers to know how this can impact their land, but it is not known how mistletoe impacts ornamental landscapes. This project assesses three different ornamental landscapes in Northern California for frequency of mistletoe. The methods for our research included measuring 30 trees that were at least 6 m in height, with a visible crown, and categorized as small (< 8 m), medium (9-12 m), or large (> 12 m). Mistletoe cluster size was categorized as small, medium, or large. The results show that all three areas were hosts to mistletoe, although there is no relationship between host trees and tree size. We found that mistletoe seems to be more common on trees with thicker leaves, which may help guide land managers in protecting their trees.