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Perhaps just over a decade is about all a bearcorn can hope for once the its oak host begins to fight back. In at least one study I read, no bearcorn individuals over 13 years of age were found and the average age is estimate to be about 10 years. There is a strong possibility that such oak defenses lend to the relatively short lifespan of bearcorn plants. There is even evidence that some of those tannins are transferred into the bearcorn tubercle, leading some to suggest that the oak is literally poisoning its bearcorn parasites, albeit slowly. Apparently this serves to slow the flow of water and nutrients into the tubercle.
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Examination of the cells within bearcorn tubercles revealed that as the parasite grows, the oak will begin flooding the infected cells with tannin-rich compounds. Indeed, it would appear that oaks are not helpless against bearcorn infestations. Considering the size of some bearcorn populations, one could expect the oak host to fight back. Over time, oak root size within the tubercle greatly diminishes until some completely perish. Apparently this all comes at great cost to the oak roots. In doing so, bearcorn is effectively increasing the amount of surface area available to make more parasitic connections. Over time, the bearcorn tubercle coaxes the roots of the oak to fan outward like the crown of a tiny tree. Its within the tubercle that all of the parasitism takes place.Ĭells within the bearcorn tubercle penetrate into the vascular tissues of the oak root, stealing all the water and nutrients the plant will ever need. The tubercle continues to grow throughout the life of the plant, developing into an amorphous, woody blob that continues to envelope more and more oak roots.
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If lucky, the growing seedling will come into contact with an oak root and begin developing a strange organ referred to as the nodule or tubercle. Upon germinating, the tiny seedling needs to act fast before its meager energy reserves are exhausted. For a plant that relies completely on another plant for its water and nutritional needs, it doesn’t make much sense for bearcorn seeds to germinate anywhere but near oak roots. It is likely that some sort of chemical cue is what initiates the process and this makes sense. Some sources say that direct contact is needed whereas others claim that seeds have to be close enough to detect root presence. Regardless, if you want to find bearcorn in the woods, you would do well to search out red oaks first.Īccording to those who have run germination trials, bearcorn seeds must be in close proximity to oak roots in order to germinate. At least one author claims to have found bearcorn attached to the roots of a white oak ( Quercus alba) and even earlier work suggests that American chestnut ( Castanea dentata) may have served as an occasional host as well. That is not to say the exceptions have not been documented. From what I have been able to gather, the preferred hosts of bearcorn are the red oaks (section Lobatae).
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It simply can’t exist without access to oak roots. One can easily be forgiven for thinking they had encountered some type of fungus.īearcorn is an obligate parasite on oak trees. It produces no leaves, no chlorophyll, and all you ever see of it are its strange reproductive structures. There are also several species in America that thrive in the deserts in the Southwest, where they live on palo verde, mesquite, juniper, pine and other trees.Bearcorn ( Conopholis americana) is one of those plants that really challenges mainstream assumptions of what a plant should look like. The European varieties have been used for centuries in traditional medicine to treat seizures, headaches, infertility, hypertension and arthritis.Īccording to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health, mistletoe injections are available only in clinical trials in the U.S., but are available by prescription in Europe, where the plant is used as a treatment for cancer.Įuropean mistletoe grows in temperate regions all over the world. Eating the plant raw or drinking it in tea can cause poisoning.ĭespite its dangers, mistletoe has a history of medicinal use. The symptoms are caused by a poisonous ingredient called phoratoxin, which is found in all parts of the plant, including the berries, and is especially concentrated in the leaves. Eating any part of the plant can cause drowsiness, blurred vision, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, weakness and seizures.