In message , David Hill
writes
On 29/11/2012 23:05, Bob Hobden wrote:
"Christina Websell" wrote ...

"Stewart Robert Hinsley" wrote
Bob Hobden writes
Seems to be a significant increase in the stuff around here over the
last decade. Used to be quite rare but now it's everywhere you look
on all sorts of trees. Even on small Rowans in the central
reservation of a local road. What's the experience of others?

Mistletoe is fairly local. It seems to be most commonly found in
chalk country. There used to be a concentration in orchards in the
Gloucestershire/Herefordshire/Worcestershire area, but recent records
from that area are relatively scarce.

The last mistletoe I saw wild was in Coventry a quarter of century ago.
I've never seen mistletoe growing wild here in Leics.
I have some ancient apple trees and thought about pressing a few seeds
from bought stuff into the bark but I found out that's a bad idea as
most Christmas mistletoe is imported.
I'd really like some home grown mistletoe, does anyone know how to get
berries and if I did, is there a skill to it?

The berries are not ripe until well after Christmas, Feb/Mar time and
just need scraping off onto the top of a suitable branch. It does need
light to grow and is very slow.
I always understood that it was variety specific, that is mistletoe
from apple would only grow on apple, where as that from poplars would
only grow on poplars and so on.
When you are on the A449 going to the Midlands from South Wales there
are loads of trees with mistletoe along the roadside.

A quick google finds papers recognising 3 host races - one from
angiospermous trees, one from silver fir, and one from pine.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley