A kiss under the mistletoe is a Christmas tradition, but when you’ve put up your Christmas decorations, have you ever wondered where this plant comes from?
Mistletoe is what’s known as a “hemiparasitic” plant – that is to say it grows on other trees, drawing nourishment from its host. Thanks to its evergreen leaves, it can also photosynthesise, thereby providing at least some of its own sustenance.
Over 900 species of mistletoe exist, although only European mistletoe is a native plant found in Britain. Fortunately for the species, this variant has the widest range of potential hosts found across all forms of mistletoe.
Apple trees, especially cultivated varieties, are mistletoe’s most popular host within the UK, but it may also be found where there are hawthorn, lime, or poplar trees. As mistletoe likes lots of light, it is not commonly found in forests or woodland. Rather, it tends to colonise trees in more open spaces like gardens, parks, orchards and churchyards.
Herefordshire is home to the largest UK population of wild mistletoe, and there are also large populations in various areas of Southern and Western England. It is rare to find any growing in Northern and Eastern England or Scotland.
Mistletoe that grows in the wild is spread by birds, particularly blackcaps – a migratory species that has recently begun to spend winter here in large numbers. The birds feed on the berries, then wipe their beaks on the branches. If the seed then germinates, a mistletoe plant may eventually take hold there, although it could be around five years before any berries are seen.
