Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
European mistletoe (Viscum album) attached to a dormant common aspen (Populus tremula) Mistletoe in an apple tree. Mistletoe is the common name for obligate hemiparasitic plants in the order Santalales. They are attached to their host tree or shrub by a structure called the haustorium, through which they extract water and nutrients from the ...
Leafy mistletoe can adversely affect trees growing in urban environments and in forests. [12] It is considered a nuisance in urban environments because of its appearance on deciduous trees during winter. Severe colonization of mistletoe can affect the health of an individual tree, and a tree already stressed by other factors can be killed.
Mistletoe grows on trees. Money might not grow on trees, but mistletoe sure does. It's most noticeable in winter growing on bare branches at the top of a tree. What you might think is a nest of ...
American mistletoe; see also the related genus Viscum: Santalaceae: Mistletoe is a common hemiparasite of trees and shrubs. Toxicity varies by species, but all parts of the plant, especially the leaves and berries, contain an array of dangerous chemicals, including proteins called phoratoxins and toxic alkaloids.
The history of phoratoxin is filled with myths, legends, and other magical stories. Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant occasionally using oak trees as their host. To historic peoples such as the Gauls and the Druids, oak trees were sacred. This led to beliefs that the mistletoe containing viscotoxin was a cure all drug for illnesses.
In fact, according to Dr. Tina Wismer, senior director of toxicology at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, the type of tree mistletoe grows upon affects the plant’s toxicity.
Mistletoe’s ability to bloom even in the depths of winter and retain its rich green color all winter long when most trees and shrubs have lost their green leaves makes it ripe for symbolism.
Phoradendron tomentosum, the leafy mistletoe, hairy mistletoe or Christmas mistletoe, is a plant parasite. It is characterized by its larger leaves and smaller berries than dwarf mistletoe . Leafy mistletoe seldom kill but they do rob their hosts of moisture and some minerals, causing stress during drought and reducing crop productions on fruit ...