Thread: mistletoe
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Old 03-05-2003, 02:08 PM
Howard Clase
 
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Default mistletoe

In article ,
Iris Cohen wrote:
I would like to try planting mistletoe. Can someone have any idea how to do
that?

Are you serious or trolling? Mistletoe is a parasite. It only grows in the
warmer parts of the country, like Texas & Louisiana. The preferred hosts are
oak trees, as far as I know. The seeds are sticky. They are spread in nature by
birds wiping them off their beaks. You could plant them deliberately by
sticking the seeds on the branch of a suitable host. However, be warned that
they may weaken & perhaps kill your tree. And your neighbors will be most
agitated when the mistletoe starts spreading to their trees.
Iris,


This is rather a narrow view Iris: - here's an extract from the Annotated
Checklist of the Vacular Plants of Newfoundland & Labrador:-

Santalaceae Sandalwood Family (including Viscaceae)
[N] Arceuthobium pusillum Peck
dwarf mistletoe; Fr: petit gui, faux-gui nain. nTemp. eNA; N to
s/cNfld.
[=Razoumofskya pusilla (Peck) Kuntze]
[Classified as rare in Nfld., Arceuthobium pusillum is
parasitic on Picea mariana (Bouchard et al., 1991); it is responsible for
the formation of witches' brooms in wNfld.]

Picea mariana is the Black Spruce, the Dwarf Mistletoe is Newfoundland's
smallest shrub!

The Mistle Thrush of Europe is named because of its fondness for the
berries and is also involved in "planting" the local species.

Whether the neighbours approve or not will depend upon whether they
participate in various pagan fertility rites that are still remembered in
mid winter in some parts of the world.

All that I have seen have green leaves, and cannot be fully parasitic.

Howard Clase