Across Europe in its early days, oak trees were considered a sacred giant, and anything that grew on it as well. So when the autumn winds came and blew off the colorful foliage, beholding a live green leafy plant near the tops of the mighty oak branches must mean only one thing; heaven sent from the gods. Bunches were gathered during winter when the long nights were inhabited by demons and hung on doors of man and beast to keep them at bay. The plant was also considered a healer of convulsions and regarded as a fertility and conception herb, the latter being the reason for the ‘kiss under the mistletoe’ tradition during Christmas time.
Mistletoe is a warm weather plant but can survive in parts of southern Ohio that don’t drop much below 40 degrees. American elm, silver maple, and black gum trees are the preferred hardwood homes for this evergreen in the Ohio region. It’s also a parasitic plant, attaching itself to the host’s bark near the very top, 20 – 40 feet above the ground, displaying its green foliage in bushy form in the mid winter days, adding to that mystical aura that caused many to associate it with the god’s blessings.
It grows roots directly into the bark and takes its nutrients just like a thief which earned it the scientific name Phoradendron, “thief of the tree” in Greek. Though the tree can become stressed, it does not kill it. Within the first two years of establishing itself, the mistletoe will send out shoots of leathery green leaves and erupt through the tops of the host tree’s branches. These will produce flowers and, later, round white berries, a lovely sight indeed.
Once this parasite has taken root, it will not leave. Even if you pull off the branches from the outside, it resides in the tissue of the host now and will appear once again, another mystical feature encouraging an otherworldly perception.
So why not make the best of it. Take your sweetie outside at yuletide and give him or her a kiss under the mistletoe which has literally established itself in a world of its own!
*Mistletoe is poisonous! Keep children and pets away!
Have you ever been kissed under the mistletoe? Tell us below in comments!