Mistletoe is abundant around Christmas time. And most people are familiar with the Christmas holidays’ mistletoe kissing tradition. Couples standing under the mistletoe are supposed to kiss. Even feuding couples are to declare a truce and kiss if caught under the mistletoe.
I don’t remember seeing any mistletoe at any of the Christmas holiday parties and functions I attended. No one hung mistletoe above doorways or other overhead places.
Instead, it was all about the “Mistletoe Jam.” Not to be confused with the edible, sticky jellies or jams.
When Luther Vandross says, “Everybody kiss somebody,” there is no need for mistletoe. Especially at house parties.
There are many species of mistletoe. Many are evergreen plants and are used for Christmas decorations.
But do you know that the glamorized and romanticized mistletoe is a parasite?
That’s right.
The often-staged Christmas overhanging is parasitic in nature. Of course, this fact hasn’t diminished its popularity as a kissing magnet during Christmas.
Mistletoe makes food from chlorophyll, but the host supplies a large part of its food. The mistletoe isn’t a guest of its host. The intrusive plant is a squatter or trespasser.
The mistletoe seeds attach to the tree bark from bird droppings, flies, or even the wind. When the seeds germinate, the roots penetrate the branch. The roots transport nutrients from the host tree to the mistletoe or parasite. It may take five or more years for mistletoe to mature. And the parasitic relationship exists until the roots are removed or the host dies.
The host/parasite connection is hardly a partnership or a mutually beneficial relationship. The parasitic mistletoe can decrease a tree’s productivity.
The mistletoe is most visible when the trees are leafless. Many resemble giant evergreen bouquets attached to limbs. European mistletoe hosts include the apple, popular, willow, linden, and hawthorn trees.
The traditional Christmas mistletoe is the European mistletoe. The berries of the European mistletoe, along with other mistletoe berries, are harmful to humans and many animals.
The Eastern mistletoe of North America is common to Oak trees.
There is a lot of folklore and mysticism surrounding mistletoe.
Some believed mistletoe had power, made people fertile, and had medical properties.
But the Romans associated mistletoe with love, peace, and understanding. They hung the mistletoe over doorways for protection. It also was used in ancient Roman festivals in honor of Saturn, one of their gods.
Next time you’re riding along, look at the various treetops. Chances are you will spot some mistletoe.
There are several trees on my street with the thriving pest.
Pest or not, the mistletoe is a wonderful Christmas tradition.
Mistletoe, “Mistletoe Jam,” or both. You choose.
Have a Merry Christmas!