Mistletoe Musings

There’s More to This Plant Than Movies and Lore Will Tell You

- TIM CRAIG

EVERY DECEMBER there are certain things you can count on: holiday music in every store, extra cookies and snacks appearing out of nowhere, and nonstop Hallmark movies like “The Mistletoe Promise,” where people find romance in unlikely places and unbelievable ways.

But the story on mistletoe is a little more complicated. Is it a hanging parasite with the green leaves and the white berries? Is this parasite a symbol for romance? Is there anything good that can come of it? The answer to all three questions, of course, is “yes.”

Mistletoe the Parasite

Technically, mistletoes — there are more than 1,000 species found throughout the world to which botanists ascribe the name — are hemiparasites, which means they obtain a portion of their energy through photosynthesis, and the rest is extracted from other plants. As a small seedling, it roots into the bark and wood of a tree and makes a connection with the growing ring of the host. Although mistletoe makes its own food, it steals water and nutrients from its host tree.

Because of its parasitic nature, mistletoe can weaken or destroy the trees it infests, especially if the tree has been compromised by pests, storms, or old age. Removing mistletoe may help revive the tree, according to UF/IFAS.