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Mistletoe kisses

Frosty mistletoe by Zsuzsanna Bird

There’s more to mistletoe than a temptation of a Christmas kiss...

Mistletoe is quite a common sight in Worcestershire but, cloaked in myths and folklore, what do we really know about it?

Let's start with the folklore. It's likely to be connected to a fertility custom or marriage ritual but the origins of why we kiss under mistletoe are lost in the mists of time. Druids believed it was sacred because it didn't grow from the ground. Women slept with it under their pillows in the hope of dreams of a future husband. The plant has played a part in myths for millenia - there are Greek, Roman, Norse and Saxon myths about mistletoe. 

Whatever roots it has in our culture, it has its own natural stories to tell.

Contrary to popular belief, this berried plant isn't completely parasitic. It contains chlorophyll and this allows it, through the process of photosynthesis, to manufacture sugars from carbon dioxide and water. It does, however, steal water and minerals from the host tree but it doesn't appear to damage the tree. You'll probably have seen it most often in apple trees in Worcestershire's traditional orchards but it's been recorded in almost 30 tree species across the county.

Mistletoe balls in a tree by Harry Green

Mistletoe balls by Harry Green

We all know how important trees are but they're enhanced further by having mistletoe clumps amongst their branches. These aerial zoological gardens with their dense succulent leaves and juicy white berries can be full of sucking, burrowing and predatory invertebrates and, of course, this all helps the wildlife further up the foodchain.

Mistletoe berries are loved by blackcaps and mistle thrushes, both of whom will attempt to guard a tree from other hungry birds hoping to snaffle a berry or two themselves. Once they've had their fill, the birds will either wipe their beaks on branches or digest the berries and deposit sticky droppings onto branches.  The berries then produce white haustoria that seek a way through the bark into the tree to establish a new plant, which will eventually produce the familiar ball of green stems. Mistletoe plants are either male or female but only the female plants produce berries.

Mistletoe marble moth (marbled white/brown colours) by Oliver Wadsworth

Mistletoe marble moth by Oliver Wadsworth

What about those invertebrates? You need good eyesight to spot mistletoe weevils as they're just 2-3mm long! The larvae live within mistletoe stems during spring and summer - you can sometimes see the blotches their eating causes.  If you're looking for blotches, you might also come across the tunnels created by the larvae of the mistletoe marble moth that mines between the upper and lower surface of the leaves. The larvae pupate in May and fly in July.

So, next time you’re standing under the mistletoe waiting for a kiss or when you pop a sprig of mistletoe under your pillow to dream of your future husband, perhaps take a moment to consider what else could be near your head!

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