Document Type : Scientific note
Authors
1
Corresponding author, PhD of Plant Pathology, Forests and Rangelands Research Department, West Azerbaijan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Urmia, Iran.
2
Researcher, Forests and Rangelands Research Department, West Azerbaijan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Urmia, Iran
3
MSc of Agronomy, Natural Resources and Watershed Department of East Azerbaijan, Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization, Kaleybar, Iran
10.22092/ijfrpr.2025.367475.1645
Abstract
Dwarf mistletoe, Arceuthobium oxycedri (DC.) M. Bieb., a semi-parasitic plant in the family Viscaceae, is an important agent causing damage to juniper trees (Juniperus spp.) in various regions of Iran, including the northern territories and the southern slopes of the Alborz Mountains. Previously, it has been reported on J. polycarpus and J. excelsa. Infection by this semi-parasitic plant reduces seed production and physiological activity of the host, increasing its susceptibility to pests and other plant diseases.
Junipers are among the most important coniferous species in Iran, occurring mainly in mountainous areas such as the southern slopes of the Alborz Mountains, northern Khorasan, Hezar Masjid Mountains, the Arasbaran region, and the internal highlands of the Iran-Turan vegetation zone. Juniperus communis L. is an upright or creeping shrub, with brown to gray-brown bark on branches, trihedral young shoots, and sharp needle-shaped leaves, playing a key ecological role in the Arasbaran forests.
During a field survey in the Arasbaran forests, a population of J. communis was observed to be infected by a semi-parasitic plant in the Makidi area of Kaleybar (E: 46°54′17.1″, N: 38°50′55.3″; 1556 m a.s.l.). The plant exhibited scale-like leaves, jointed stems, unisexual and dioecious flowers, and monoecious anthers. Morphological comparisons with reliable references, including Flora of Iran (Nos. 72–73), confirmed its identity as A. oxycedri. The herbarium specimen (No. 11054) is deposited at the Herbarium of West Azerbaijan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center (WESTA). To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of A. oxycedri infecting J. communis in Iran and the first confirmed record of this semi-parasitic plant in the Arasbaran forests.
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