Mistletoe Description Mistletoe is a parasitic evergreen plant that lives on trees such as oaks, elms, firs, pines, apples, and elms. The parasitic plant has yellowish flowers; small, yellowish green leaves; and waxy, white berries.
Most people think of Christmas when they think of mistletoe. And kissing. But there is more to this plant than an excuse to kiss that attractive girl or guy.
Christmas is almost upon us and the halls are being decked. Many times, decorations include mistletoe, a plant considered sacred by many cultures.
The Mistletoe Bird - Dicaeum hirundinaceum has a very close relationship with mistletoe plants. The Mistletoe Bird feeds mainly on the berries of the mistletoe and it is the main vector for distrubuting the seeds. Most birds perch across a branch or twig and as a result their droppings fall to the ground.
The Golden Bough in Context Some scholars, such as James Frazer, have suggested that the Golden Bough was actually mistletoe. Virgil describes the Golden Bough as being sheltered by an oak, much as mistletoe grows as a parasite on many trees, including oaks. In addition, mistletoe has a long history of supernatural associations in different ...
The Celts believed that by bringing evergreens indoors they were providing a haven for woodland spirits through the winter months. Evergreen plants like holly, ivy and mistletoe were thought to ward off misfortune and bring protection and luck.[3]
Eastern wild mistletoe - just one of 400 species in the mistletoe family - is common along the Ohio River from Marietta to Cincinnati. In fact, southern Ohio is on the northernmost edge of the mistletoe range. Selective about where it perches, mistletoe in Ohio prefers putting down roots in the tops of American elm, silver maple and black gum ...