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PUZZLING GRIOWTH ON A TREE #753109

Asked May 31, 2021, 4:43 PM EDT

Hi There! My neighbors and I share a hemlock tree. There's a large growth that looks like roots or somekind of other plant growing on it. Would you know what this is and help us figure out this mystery? Thank you, Thalia Ohara

Tillamook County Oregon

Expert Response

Greetings,

Thank you for reaching out to Extension. To best assist you, are you able to take and attach a photo to your reply here?  

The image would enable identification. 

Warm Regards,  Replied June 01, 2021, 11:53 AM EDT
Hello!  

I attached the photos for you, I tried yesterday but it must not have attached.  Looking forward
to learning what this growth might be?

Thank you,
Thalia

On Tuesday, June 1, 2021, 10:53:55 AM CDT, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:


The Question Asker Replied June 01, 2021, 11:46 PM EDT

Hi Thalia,

Thanks for contacting us, and for attaching these photos. It looks to me like your tree has Hemlock Dwarf Mistletoe, which is a pretty common parasitic plant that grows on hemlocks and other conifers in our region. I've attached a couple of resources here to give you some more information on its lifecycle and the very creative way it takes advantage of our beautiful trees!

If you have a lot of trees right next to this hemlock, or were planning on harvesting it for timber, or spend a lot of time playing right underneath the tree, it could be worth having the parasitized branch removed. But if the tree is relatively out of the way, I would probably just let it play out. Hemlock Dwarf Mistletoe is a natural part of our ecosystem, and is a really cool demonstration of a symbiotic relationship! 

Please let me know if you have any additional questions!

Best,

Julia
 

Julia Wentzel Replied June 02, 2021, 5:29 PM EDT
Hi Julia,

Thank you for solving our mystery!  I had read it might be a mistletoe but I just couldn't wrap my head around the unusual root like system.  I'll share this info with our neighbor since this tree is really close in proxmity to their deck.  

Glad I found you and thanks again for helping us out!

Thalia

On Wednesday, June 2, 2021, 02:29:15 PM PDT, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:


The Question Asker Replied June 02, 2021, 9:24 PM EDT

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