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First Report of Arceuthobium globosum subsp. grandicaule in Honduras

Large-stemmed dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium globosum Hawksw. & Wiens subsp. grandicaule Hawksw. & Wiens-Viscaceae) parasitizes several Pinus spp. in central Mexico and western Guatemala (1). In November 2000 several trees of Pinus hartwegii Lindley were discovered being parasitized by this dwarf mistletoe near the summit of Cerro las Minas, Montana de Celaque (2850 m elevation) approximately 12 km southwest of Gracias, Department Lempira, Honduras. Species identification was based on the size of the plants, which were greater than 50 cm in height, and the dark brown color and size (2.1 to 4.5 cm) of the stem base (1). There was no apparent infection of nearby Pinus ayacahuite Ehrenb., which is known to be immune to the pathogen. Specimens of A. globosum subsp. grandicaule were collected and deposited at the Herbario, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Forestales, Siguatepeque, Honduras and at the Deaver Herbarium, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff. To our knowledge, this is the first report of this dwarf mistletoe in Honduras and extends its eastern distribution from west-central Guatemala by approximately 300 km.

Reference: (1) F. G. Hawksworth and D. Wiens. 1996. Dwarf Mistletoes: Biology, Pathology, and Systematics. USDA Agric. Handb. 709.