The WALA Plant Library
Mistletoe

Synonyms for Mistletoe: None Known
Scientific Name: Viscum album
Family: Loranthaceae

Description:

Is it a plant or isn't it? This is a question you may well ask when you look up into the treetops and discover the nest-like crowns of mistletoe. These evergreen semi-parasites, which grow mainly on soft-wooded deciduous trees and conifers, stand out particularly amongst the bare branches in autumn and winter. This is also the time when the milky white berries arising from the flowers of the previous March to April ripen between the lance-shaped, leathery leaves. Mistletoe is dioecious, i.e. there are male and female plants. The seeds of the female plant are dispersed by birds. When a seed lands on a tree and germinates, it begins by forming an adhesive disk. After several months the so-called haustorium (a modified root) penetrates the bark and grows into the tree until it reaches the vascular system (so to speak the nutrition system of the tree). Once anchored in this way, the mistletoe can grow into a bush more than one meter in diameter. The number of forks reveals the age of the mistletoe, each fork standing for one year's growth.