Mistletoe

Mistletoe may bring lovers together for a holiday kiss, but you don’t want these parasitic plants in your landscape

Vintage mistletoe illustration (rawpixel) Public Domain

Types of mistletoe
 
There are several types of mistletoe. Some have red berries, and some have white, but they are all members of the Santalales order. You can determine your variety by counting the berries in each cluster. European mistletoe berries occur in clusters of two to six, while you will find 10 or more berries in clusters of North American mistletoe.
 
How mistletoe grows
 
Mistletoe seeds land on branches and twigs, often via bird droppings. These seeds (drupes) send early roots into the bark to tap a significant food source. Since penetrating the bark can take up to a year, these plants use photosynthesis at first. As such, they are hemiparasites. Once they attach themselves to a host plant, most photosynthesis stops. Eventually, the mistletoe plant takes on a witches’ broom growth.

Mistletoe in white poplar (Wikipedia) CC BY-SA 2.0

Mistletoe in an apple tree (Chilepine) Public Domain

Like dodder, mistletoe plants use a specialized structure (haustorium) to attach themselves to various trees and shrubs, including apple and cocoa trees. They then suck water and nutrients from host plants. Heavy infestations can kill the host.

Mistletoe can devastate a tree (Antranias) Pixabay

Mistletoe management
 
If mistletoe appears in your landscape, early removal of affected limbs can save the plant.
 
Traditionally used to treat arthritis, epilepsy, infertility, and countless other maladies, we now know that mistletoe berries are toxic and should never be eaten.