​Juniper Mistletoe, Phoradendron juniperinum, Sandalwood Family (Santalaceae)

Found in piñon-juniper woodlands
Seen blooming in April on the Espinosa Trail, Abiquiu

The first bloom of this season is tiny and greenish so not easy to see. Mistletoe is a parasite of Junipers. It grows in 8 to 14 inch balls and looks very similar to the juniper leaves with smooth, branched, yellow-green stems. The leaves are tiny and scale-like. The female flowers are followed by small, round white to light pink berries. It has been used traditionally to make a tea to treat stomach problems and as “bad medicine for wizards”, the berries were used as a famine food, the branches were used to make a textile dye and for treating warts, and an infusion of the plant was used as a childbirth aid. Source.
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