Caspian forests (in the region it is called – Hyrcanian Forests) with an area of about 1.9 million ha are located in north of Iran, in southern coast of Caspian Sea. It is exclusive site for some valuable species like Populus caspica Bornm., Gleditsia caspica Desf., Parrotia persica Meyer. and Pterocaria fraxinifolia (Lam.) Spach., and the forests are dominated by Fagus orientalis Lipsky, Quercus castanifolia C. A. M., and Alnus glutinosa Gaertn. The mistletoe (Viscum album L.) effects on the area and weight of leaves of the two host tree species ( hornbeam Carpinus betulus L. and ironwood Parrotia persica Meyer.) were studied on a number of severely infected individuals and control trees in selected parts of Hyrcanian Forests. Almost 100 leaves from infested and non-infested branches of two host species were sampled in order to compare with control trees (non-infested trees growing near each host). Results showed, that area and weight of leaves taken from infested branches of ironwood were significantly lower (at 95% confidence level) than leaf area and weight in non-infested branches and control trees. The amount of K, Mn and Zn was higher in infested branches of both species compared to control trees. However, the amount of nitrogen in infected branches of ironwood was lower. The results suggest that V. album may have detrimental effect on leaf structure, physiology and chemical composition of strongly infested host trees.
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