The Merry Myths of the Mistletoe

Mistletoe ( Phoradendron spp.) is a parasitic plant that grows on trees, particularly hardwood trees like oak and apple. A parasite is a plant or animal that depends upon another plant or animal for some of its resources and can not live independently.

There are a number of mistletoe species native to North America, the most widely ranging being oak mistletoe ( Phoradendron leucarpum ). This species ranges north into Pennsylvania in the lower southeastern section of the state but occurs most commonly in more southern latitudes.

As mistletoe grows on a tree, it sends out its roots into the tree's bark and takes nutrients from the tree. Sometimes, mistletoe can harm a tree and cause deformities in a tree's branches, but usually it doesn't kill its host. If the host dies, the mistletoe dies.

Mistletoe has green, leathery leaves, with waxy berries that are either red or white. The plant's flowers can be a wide variety of colors, from bright red to yellow to green. Ingesting mistletoe can cause severe stomach cramps and diarrhea, and in some cases can be fatal. If you have mistletoe in your house this holiday season, be sure that it is in a place where children and pets won't be able to get to it.

Mistletoe got its name in the second century, from the Anglo-Saxons. "Mistel" is the word for "dung," and "tan" is the word for "twig" -- misteltan is the Old English version of mistletoe, and this name tells us that mistletoe is named after bird droppings on a branch. One of the beliefs in the early centuries was that mistletoe grew as an inherent result of birds landing in the branches of trees, not connecting the deposit of droppings containing undigested seeds with the growth of new plants. For Scandinavians, the goddess of love ( Frigga ) is strongly associated with mistletoe. This link to romance may be where our tradition of kissing under mistletoe comes from.

Photo of oak mistletoe ( Phoradendron leucarpum ) courtesy of the USC Herbarium. Reference material: Howstuffworks.Inc.

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