Mistletoe: The Vampire, Freeloader, and Thief of the Forest, Slides of Botany and Agronomy

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Mistletoe

Introduction to Mistletoe

 Mistletoe is one of our best-known, but least understood plants. Although, familiar to everyone at Christmas, with a history in folklore and legend, little is known about this strange plant other than kissing under the mistletoe as a Christmas tradition.

Mistletoe is a Freeloader

 It is parasitic on the stems of woody plants, from which it derives water, mineral nutrients, and organic compounds carried in xylem sap.

Mistletoe is a Thief

 It’s scientific name, Phoradendron, means “thief of the tree” in Greek. The mistletoe plant puts its roots down into tree limbs in order to steal water and nutrients. Mistletoe is semi parasitic; that is, it has green leaves that provide some energy meets many of its energy by sucking the life blood from its host, usually oaks, elms, and poplars.

What is Mistletoe cont.

 Evergreen clumps of mistletoe are

readily observed on deciduous trees in

winter when leaves are off the trees.

What is Mistletoe cont.

 Mistletoe is especially interesting botanically because it is a partial parasite (a “hemi parasite”). As a parasitic plant, it grows on the branches or trunk of a tree and actually sends out roots that penetrate into the tree to take up nutrients. But mistletoe is also capable of producing its own nutrients by photosynthesis.

What is Mistletoe cont.

 Most of the mistletoe sold during the holiday season is gathered in the wild. Most mistletoe is harvested in Oklahoma and Texas.

How did Mistletoe get its

Name?

 The common name of mistletoe is derived from the ancient belief that mistletoe was propagated from bird droppings. This belief was related to the then-accepted principle that life could spring spontaneously from dung.

The Sex of Mistletoe

 Mistletoe plants are either male (produce only pollen) or female (produce berries).

The Sex of Mistletoe cont.

 All species of mistletoe in the United States are dioecious meaning they have male and female flowers on separate plants. Male plants produce only pollen, and female plants produce flowers and fleshy, white seed pods. Each pod is filled with a slimy and sticky clear fluid and one seed covered with a tough greenish membrane (see photos below).

Legends and Traditions

 The traditions, which

began with the

European mistletoe in

ancient times, were

transferred to the

similar American plant

with the process of

immigration and

settlement.

Legends and Traditions cont.

 In the Middle Ages and later, branches of mistletoe were hung from ceilings to ward off evil spirits. In Europe they were placed over house and stable doors to prevent the entrance of witches.

Legends and Traditions cont.

 In some parts of England the

Christmas mistletoe is burned on the

twelfth night lest all the boys and girls

who have kissed under it never marry.

Legends and Traditions cont.

 Kissing under the mistletoe is first found associated with the Greek festival of Saturnalia and later with primitive marriage rites. Mistletoe was believed to have the power of bestowing fertility, and the dung from which the mistletoe was thought to arise was also said to have “life- giving” power.