JANTJABY. 45 



be pendent; and it is remarkable that there is no 

 disposition in the plant to destroy the tree where 

 it grows, as, except at the point from which it develops 

 itself, the radicles penetrate no farther than the sap- 

 wood. The mistletoe, therefore, seems only to act 

 the part of a pseudo-bud upon the tree, no doubt 

 extracting from it nourishment that would have de- 

 veloped a large branch, but not doing material mis- 

 chief, except existing in excess, or so far surrounding 

 any branch as to cut off the supplies of nutriment 

 from proceeding farther, except into its own reservoirs. 

 It seems always full of moisture, and being, therefore, 

 extremely brittle, it is corded tightly together by lateral 

 ligatures, that, extending along each dichotornization 

 beneath the epidermis, preserve it from the effects of 

 common accidents ; while the base of each branch is 

 firmly socketed into a swelling nob that surmounts 

 the inferior one thus a regular dichotomous series of 

 branches is formed, all firmly articulated in an ossiform 

 manner into each other, and yet each branch may be 

 considered an independent plant, with leaves, flowers, 

 and fruit. 



It seems curious that though the mistletoe flowers 

 earlier in the year than the apple trees on which it 

 flourishes, yet it does not ripen its small white berries 

 till December, long after most others, and thus is 

 called by Virgil " frigore mscum" * the wintry 

 mistletoe. This may not improbably arise from its 

 being unable to steal sufficient nutriment from its 

 nurse till the latter has got rid of her own legitimate 

 offspring, and lost her foliage too. But at any rate 

 this fact is opposed to the commonly received notion 



Virg. JEn. lib. vi. 205. 



