mistletoe

/mis"euhl toh'/, n.

1. a European plant, Viscum album, having yellowish flowers and white berries, growing parasitically on various trees, used in Christmas decorations.

2. any of several other related, similar plants, as Phoradendron serotinum, of the U.S.: the state flower of Oklahoma.

[bef. 1000; ME mistelto, appar. back formation from OE misteltan (mistel mistletoe, basil + tan twig), the -n being taken as pl. ending; c. ON mistilteinn]

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Any of many species of semiparasitic green plants of the families Loranthaceae and Viscaceae, especially those of the genera Viscum, Phoradendron, and Arceuthobium, all members of the Viscaceae family.

V. album, the traditional mistletoe of literature and Christmas celebrations, is found throughout Eurasia. This yellowish evergreen bush (2–3 ft, or 0.6–0.9 m, long) droops on the branch of a host tree. The thickly crowded, forking branches bear small leathery leaves and yellowish flowers, which produce waxy-white berries containing poisonous pulp. A modified root penetrates the bark of the host tree and forms tubes through which water and nutrients pass from the host to the slow-growing but persistent parasite. The North American counterpart is P. serotinum. Mistletoe was formerly believed to have magical and medicinal powers, and kissing under hanging mistletoe was said to lead inevitably to marriage.

Leaves and berries of American mistletoe (Phoradendron serotinum)

John H. Gerard

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▪ plant

 any of many species of semiparasitic green plants of the families Loranthaceae and Viscaceae, especially those of the genera Viscum, Phoradendron, and Arceuthobium, all members of the Viscaceae. Viscum album, the traditional mistletoe of literature and Christmas celebrations, is distributed throughout Eurasia from Great Britain to northern Asia. Its North American counterpart is Phoradendron serotinum. Species of the genus Arceuthobium, parasitic primarily on coniferous trees, are known by the name dwarf mistletoe (q.v.).

      The legendary mistletoe was known for centuries before the Christian era. It forms a drooping yellowish evergreen bush, 0.6 to 0.9 m (about 2 to 3 feet) long, on the branch of a host tree. It has thickly crowded, forking branches with oval to lance-shaped, leathery leaves about 5 cm (2 inches) long, arranged in pairs, each opposite the other on the branch. The flowers, in compact spikes, are bisexual, unisexual, or regular. They are yellower than the leaves and appear in the late winter and soon give rise to one-seeded, white berries, which when ripe are filled with a sticky, semitransparent pulp. These berries, and those of other mistletoes, contain toxic compounds poisonous to animals and to humans.

      Most tropical mistletoes are pollinated by birds, most temperate species by flies and wind. Fruit-eating birds distribute the seeds in their droppings or by wiping their beaks, to which the seeds often adhere, against the bark of a tree. After germination a modified root ( haustorium) penetrates the bark of the host tree and forms a connection through which water and nutrients pass from host to parasite. Mistletoes contain chlorophyll and can make some of their own food. Most mistletoes parasitize a variety of hosts, and some species even parasitize other mistletoes, which, in turn, are parasitic on a host. The Eurasian Viscum album is most abundant on apple trees, poplars, willows, lindens, and hawthorns. Species of Phoradendron in America also parasitize many deciduous trees, including oaks. In some parts of Europe the midsummer gathering of mistletoe is still associated with the burning of bonfires, a remnant of sacrificial ceremonies performed by ancient priests, or druids (Druid). Mistletoe was once believed to have magic powers as well as medicinal properties. Later, the custom developed in England (and, still later, the United States) of kissing (kiss) under the mistletoe, an action that once was believed to lead inevitably to marriage.

      Mistletoes are slow-growing but persistent; their natural death is determined by the death of the hosts. They are pests of many ornamental, timber, and crop trees and are the cause of abnormal growths called “witches' brooms” that deform the branches and decrease the reproductive ability of the host. The only effective control measure is complete removal of the parasite from the host.

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