"echinosum" wrote


David Hill;
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.
The wikipedia article indicates that different subspecies of Viscum
album are fussy about their host tree, but that you will find in UK is
likely all V.album subsp album which appears to be rather catholic about
its host, though it is rarely found on oak and never on conifers; other
subspecies specialise in these but are not found in UK.

This page from Kew has some notes on their attempts to grow it, and it
does not appear to be host specific, they got seed from one collection
to grow on diverse hosts, though with a lot of failures. They seem not
to have tried the birdpoo trick, and did not think nicking the bark was
necessary. They note that light is essential to germination, so the
birdpoo should be around but not covering the seed, and don't do the
covering with moss I suggested.
'Plants & Fungi: Viscum album (mistletoe) - Species profile from Kew'
(http://tinyurl.com/bws8347)
Sounds like I was quite lucky given their success rate.


I've been reading up too. Turns out the best distributor of seed is the
Blackcap which squeezes out the seed onto a branch without it being through
it's gut, whereas the Mistle Thrush passes it through and it then might or
might not land on a suitable branch. Although Thrushes seem to be reducing
there has been a significant increase in Blackcaps over the last 10 years,
I've had them in my garden, which may well explain the increase/spread of
Mistletoe from it's previously rather specific areas.
Whilst driving round today up at Englefield Green there are trees that look
to be evergreen but it's all mistletoe, we know lots of the large trees in
The Great Park, Windsor are also showing large plants up in the branches.
Also on the large trees by the Tea Room on Runnymede Meadow. There are some
on the outskirts of Chobham Common over on the Chobham side although most of
the trees on the Common are Birch and pine (not hosts). Towards Chertsey
there are some small Rowans in the central reservation by Thorpe Park that
all seem to be infected and we noticed some trees inside the Penton Hook
Marina nearby. Also seen infected trees out Esher way.
Fascinating driving around spotting 'toe trees in the winter sun. :-)

--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK