150 THE PLANT WOELD 



It appears from the descriptions that this plant is either very im- 

 perfectly known, or that the plants we have collected belong to another 

 species. We have compared several descriptions, and have concluded 

 that the former is the case. One says that his plant is " strictly dioe- 

 cious," another that it is "usually dioecious," and another "mostly 

 dioecious." 



After long and diligent search, we found a few flowers which cor- 

 respond to what are described and pictured as pistillate flowers. These 

 were extremely few in comparison with the staminate flowers, which 

 were present in many instances in such large numbers that they com- 

 pletely covered the twigs of large trees. The shape of the tree and gen- 

 eral appearance of the foliage were often completely changed by its 

 presence. 



We were led to believe that the flower is sometimes at least regu- 

 lar, although the fact that the ovules and placenta are not at all or 

 barely distinguishable in this order, rendered it diflicult for us to deter- 

 mine (with the means at hand in camp), anything definite in this re- 

 spect. 



Since our first find, we have noticed that it is extremely abundant 

 in the lowlands, and especially in the swamps around ponds and lakes 

 in this vicinity. At any rate, should this pest spread, it might in time 

 become as serious as in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Although 

 small in size (about two and one-half inches in height), almost every 

 t\\dg of the infested trees was covered with it. 



In Europe the true mistletoe, Viscum album, is injurious to a great 

 varfety of trees. It is very destructive to fruit trees, silver fir and pop- 

 lar. Other species of mistletoe are common in the West and in the 

 South. Most of these are semiparasites. Bazoumofskya pusilla ap- 

 pears to be much more of a parasite than any other mistletoe I have 

 ever seen. Most mistletoes assimilate part of their food material, but 

 in the case of Razoumofskya pusilla this is probably slight. 



As the forest becomes better cared for, the significance of parasites 

 and weeds increases. Let us hope at least that our mistletoes may 

 never become as common and troublesome to both fruit and forest trees 

 as is the mistletoe of Europe. 



