Dendrophthora polyantha
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Dendrophthora polyantha faces severe pressure from deforestation and habitat fragmentation across its limited range in Central American cloud forests. As an obligate parasitic plant dependent on specific host trees, it is particularly vulnerable to selective logging that removes its preferred hosts. Climate change poses an additional threat by altering the moisture regimes essential for cloud forest ecosystems where this mistletoe thrives.
Habitat
This parasitic mistletoe inhabits montane cloud forests and humid tropical forests at elevations between 1,200-2,500 meters. It grows as an epiphytic parasite on various tree species, particularly favoring branches of mature forest trees in areas with consistent moisture and fog cover.
