Mistletoe has been associated with love and peace
since ages. Even two hundred years before the birth of Christ, mistletoe
was used by Druids in the celebration of winter season. They believed in
the magic of mistletoe. It was thought to have healing powers, which
could cure anything and everything, ranging from female infertility to
poison ingestion. Even enemies stopped fighting and declared a temporary
ceasefire whenever they happened to chance upon mistletoe. Know more
about the Christmas mistletoe holly with the help of the following
lines:
Mistletoe Plant
The Christmas mistletoe plant is a hemi parasite i.e., a partial
parasite. It grows either on the branches or on the trunk of a tree.
Being a parasite, it penetrates its roots into the host tree and
consumes all its nutrients. However, mistletoe can also grow
individually and produce its own food with the help of photosynthesis.
Still, it is usually found growing on trees, as a parasitic plant. There
are basically the following two types of mistletoes:
American Mistletoe
The American mistletoe, scientifically known as Phoradendron
flavescens, is native to North America. It is found growing on trees,
right from New Jersey to Florida and is the mistletoe species that is
mainly associated with the kissing tradition of Christmas.
European Mistletoe
The European mistletoe, Viscum album, is a green shrub with small,
yellow flowers and white, sticky berries. It is seen growing, usually,
on apple trees and, rarely, on oak.
Tradition
Mistletoe has been associated with many properties since ages. Among
its numerous qualities is the power to bestow life and fertility as well
as to cure a person of poison intake. The custom of using mistletoe to
decorate houses at Christmas dates back to the time of the Druids. The
concept of the kissing under the mistletoe is said to be a variation of
the kissing ball tradition of the 18th century.
