Arceuthobium vaginatum
| Arceuthobium vaginatum | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Order: | Santalales |
| Family: | Santalaceae |
| Genus: | Arceuthobium |
| Species: | A. vaginatum |
| Binomial name | |
| Arceuthobium vaginatum | |
| Subspecies | |
| |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Arceuthobium vaginatum, called the sheathed dwarf mistletoe or southwestern dwarf mistletoe, is a parasitic plant found in the southwestern United States and northwestern and central Mexico. It generally is found on pine trees.[3][4]
Taxonomy
In 1806 the first classification of Arceuthobium vaginatum was published by Carl Ludwig Willdenow as a species in the Viscum genus named Viscum vaginatum. Willdenow attributed the name to Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland. The botanist Jan Svatopluk Presl moved the species to Arceuthobium in 1825 and Otto Kuntze proposed moving it to Razoumofskya in 1891. Together with its genus it is classified in the Santalaceae family and it has three accepted subspecies.[5]
- Arceuthobium vaginatum subsp. cryptopodum – Native to the US from Texas to Utah[6]
- Arceuthobium vaginatum subsp. durangense – Native to northern and southwestern Mexico[7]
- Arceuthobium vaginatum subsp. vaginatum – Native to Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala[8]
Arceuthobium vaginatum has ten synonyms of the species or one of its subspecies.[2]
| Name | Year | Rank | Synonym of: | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arceuthobium campylopodum var. cryptopodum (Engelm.) Jeps. | 1923 | variety | subsp. cryptopodum | ≡ hom. |
| Arceuthobium cryptopodum Engelm. | 1850 | species | subsp. cryptopodum | ≡ hom. |
| Arceuthobium durangense (Hawksw. & Wiens) Hawksw. & Wiens | 1989 | species | subsp. durangense | ≡ hom. |
| Arceuthobium vaginatum var. cryptopodum (Engelm.) Cronquist | 1997 | variety | subsp. cryptopodum | ≡ hom. |
| Arceuthobium vaginatum f. cryptopodum (Engelm.) L.S.Gill | 1935 | form | subsp. cryptopodum | ≡ hom. |
| Arceuthobium vaginatum var. durangense (Hawksw. & Wiens) B.L.Turner | 2003 | variety | subsp. durangense | ≡ hom. |
| Razoumofskya cryptopoda (Engelm.) Coville | 1893 | species | subsp. cryptopodum | ≡ hom. |
| Razoumofskya mexicana Hoffm. ex J.Presl | 1825 | species | subsp. vaginatum | = het. |
| Razoumofskya vaginata (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) Kuntze | 1891 | species | A. vaginatum | ≡ hom. |
| Viscum vaginatum Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd. | 1806 | species | A. vaginatum | ≡ hom. |
| Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym; = heterotypic synonym | ||||
Ecology
Dense growths of A. vaginatum twigs are favored by Abert's squirrel as a location for nests, due to providing concealment and support.[9][10]
Ethnobotany
The Ramah Navaho have been documented as using a decoction of Arceuthobium vaginatum as a "ceremonial medicine".[11]
References
Citations
- ↑ NatureServe 2026.
- 1 2 POWO 2026a; POWO 2026b; POWO 2026c; POWO 2026d.
- ↑ Hawksworth, F.G., & D. Wiens. 1993. Viscaceae, Mistletoe Family. Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science 27:241-245
- ↑ Presl, J.S. O Prirozenosti rostlin, aneb rostlinar 2: 28. 1825.
- ↑ POWO 2026a.
- ↑ POWO 2026b.
- ↑ POWO 2026c.
- ↑ POWO 2026d.
- ↑ Thorington, Richard W.; Koprowski, John L.; Steele, Michael A.; Whatton, James F. (2012). Squirrels of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 39. ISBN 9781421404691. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
- ↑ Farentinos, R. C. (1972). "Nests of the Tassel-Eared Squirrel". Journal of Mammalogy. 53 (4): 900–903. doi:10.2307/1379231. JSTOR 1379231.
- ↑ MEKEEL, SCUDDER (May 1945). "KLUCKHORN, CLYDE: Navaho Witchcraft. Papers of the Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology. Harvard University, Vol. XXII, No. 2. Cambridge, Peabody Museum, 1944". Psychosomatic Medicine. 7 (3): 191–191. doi:10.1097/00006842-194505000-00017. ISSN 0033-3174.
Sources
Web sources
- NatureServe (31 July 2026). "Arceuthobium vaginatum". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- POWO (2026a). "Arceuthobium vaginatum (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.) J.Presl". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- POWO (2026b). "Arceuthobium vaginatum subsp. cryptopodum (Engelm.) Hawksw. & Wiens". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- POWO (2026c). "Arceuthobium vaginatum subsp. durangense Hawksw. & Wiens". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 7 August 2026.
- POWO (2026d). "Arceuthobium vaginatum subsp. vaginatum". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 7 August 2026.