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First Report of Psittacanthus angustifolius on Pinus oocarpa and Pinus maximinoi

The mistletoe Psittacanthus angustifolius Kuijt (Loranthaceae) was first described in 1987 on Pinus from Nicaragua near the Honduran border, but the species of pine was not designated (1). Kuijt (1) speculated that this mistletoe probably also occurs in Honduras. During March and October 1999 we observed P. angustifolius parasitizing Pinus oocarpa Schiede in the departments of Choluteca, Francisco Morazan, El Paraiso, Intibuca, Lempira, and Olancho in Honduras. This mistletoe appears to be a very common parasitic plant on pines in Honduras and is associated with host mortality. We also observed P. angustifolius parasitizing Pinus maximinoi H.E. Moore at two locations in the department of Lempira: one infection on a single tree 1.5 km east of El Matazano (elevation 1,400 m) and six and eight infections on two trees 0.5 km west of the main entrance to Celaque National Park east of Gracias (elevation 1,200 m). This is the first report of P. angustifolius in Honduras and the first report of this mistletoe on Pinus oocarpa and Pinus maximinoi. Specimens of P. angustifolius from Pinus oocarpa and Pinus maximinoi have been deposited at the Herbario, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Forestales, Siguatepeque, Honduras, and at the Deaver Herbarium, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff.

Reference: (1) J. Kuijt. Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 74:511, 1987.