Mistletoe. What better way to be in the holiday spirit than to discuss the origins of the plant and its interesting legends?

Mistletoe is an obligate plant, meaning it can’t survive without a host plant. However, it’s also considered hemiparasitic because it has the ability to photosynthesize on its own. It is not a fungus, as some have thought. There are so many different species of mistletoe that it’s impossible to describe them all here.

“True” mistletoe (Phoradendron) is mostly associated with Christmas and New Year’s. It’s the leafy variety and is one of few species that is poisonous to humans.

There are eight types of mistletoe in the Southwest. Three are associated with hardwood trees, while the other five infest conifers and a variety of bushes such as juniper. Others prefer riparian species of trees like sycamore and willow.

Oak mistletoe

Mistletoe varies by species, but all in all, mistletoe is not its host. Some varieties of mistletoe have thick, rounded leaves; others have thin, long leaves. The berries they produce range by species from clear to white, pink or red and can be sticky. These berries are ripe from around October through January.

Mistletoe and its host have a symbiotic relationship that can sometimes benefit both plants. Mistletoe grows berries that attract birds, which can help to pollinate the host. Unfortunately, the parasite can grow so large as to kill the branch it’s living on, and if it grows out of control, it can devastate the entire host.

Where does mistletoe come from? The answer is fruit- and berry-eating birds. A bird will eat the berry, ingest it, fly to a tree or bush, defecate the sticky seed or wipe its beak with a berry on it, and the growth cycle of the mistletoe begins.

Juniper mistletoe

After the seed germinates, modified roots called haustorium penetrate the host plant where the roots secure to its host. Water and nutrients from the host pass to the mistletoe, where it takes around two to three years for shoots to develop and another year for the mistletoe to grow berries.

Mistletoe is now being recognized as an important ecological keystone species. Besides birds passing on the seeds, butterflies are attracted by the nectar and lay their eggs on the plant, and mistletoe attracts bees for pollen.

In addition, scientific studies are beginning to look into cures for cancer, epilepsy, infertility, arthritis, hypertension and many other conditions, based on ancient remedies and modern positive results of mistletoe.

However, do not try these remedies yourself. Some berries and parts of mistletoe are poisonous and can cause grave illness and even death. Remedies are currently being explored through controlled scientific investigation.

Where did we get the tradition of hanging mistletoe during Christmas, and who decided that kissing underneath a parasite was a good idea?

The history of mistletoe comes from Druid beliefs in second-century B.C. The Celts established a society of learned individuals who became judges, doctors, seers, astronomers and other highly though-of positions in society. These learned men and women were known as Druids. The Greek word “drus” means oak, and “dru-wid” combines the words to mean “oak wisdom” or “oak knowledge.”

The oak tree and its mistletoe were so important and meaningful to the Druids that a ceremony would be conducted to cut down mistletoe from an oak with a golden sickle during the winter solstice. Carefully caught and gathered so the sprigs would not touch the ground, the pieces were distributed to the people and hung over doorways to protect them from evil, bringing them good luck for the year.

The kissing myth is a story with way too many versions. One theory is that in ancient times when battles were prominent between cultures, if opposing sides met in a forest underneath mistletoe, they would lay down their weapons in truce for one day. That doesn’t mean they were kissing each other – just that there would be peace between them for 24 hours. Another legend is that the Anglo Saxons thought kissing under mistletoe was connected to Freya, the goddess of love, fertility and beauty. Any girl or woman standing under the mistletoe was subject to being kissed. And some cultures proclaimed that kissing underneath mistletoe was intended as a promise of marriage.

Regardless of myth, legend or tradition, mistletoe is a fascinating and significant symbol of our society across the globe during the holiday season.

The next time you hike through the Placerita Canyon Nature Center, pay attention (especially) to the sycamore trees and some of the costal live oak. There’s a lot of mistletoe up there in those tree tops, so stay aware of who’s around you when you walk underneath.

Mari Carbajal is a docent-naturalist at the Placerita Canyon Nature Center.