Western dwarf mistletoe is a glabrous, dioecious perennial that parasitizes pine trees. The stems are olive-green to yellow, somewhat angled at least when young, and around 1/8" wide at the base.  The male plants are brownish, the female greenish.  The leaves are scale-like.  The flowering inflorescence is in a few- to many-flowered spike that is peduncled or not.  The period of anthesis is August to November with the seeds maturing October to December and dispersed by explosion.  This species of mistletoe is found primarily on Abies and Pinus. The Jepson Manual 2nd edition has lumped what used to be A. abietinum and A. campylopodum.

Click here for Latin name derivations: 1) Arceuthobium 2) campylopodum.
Pronunciation: ar-see-yoo-THO-bee-um kam-pee-lo-PO-dum.
Click here for Botanical Term Meanings.