CHAP. LXII; LORANTHA'CE®. VI/SCUM. 1021 
Genus I. 
VYSCUM L. Tue Mistietor. Lin. Syst. Monee‘cia, or Dice‘cia, 
Tetrandria. 
Identification. Tourn. Inst., p. 609.; Lin. Gen., No. 1105.; Dec. Prod., 4. p. 277.; Don’s Mill, 2. 
p- . i read 
Synonymes. Misseldine, Gui, or Guy, Fr. ; Mistl, or Missel, Ge. ; Visco, or Vischio, Ita?. ; Lega- 
modoga, Span. : : 
Derivation. Viscus, or viscum, is the Latin for birdlime, which is made from the berries ; and 
Mistletoe is by some supposed to be derived from mist, the German word for dung, or slimy dirt, 
and by others from m7ste/ta, the Saxon name for the plant. 
Description. Parasitical shrubs, found on the trunks and branches of trees, 
of which 76 species are described in Don’s Miller ; but only one is a native of 
Europe, and this has its sexes dicecious. 
£1. V. astsum L. The white-fruited, or common, Mistletoe. 
Identificatiun. Lin. Sp., 1451. ; Dec. Prod., 4. p. 277.; Don’s Mill., 3. p. 403. 
Engravings. N., Du Ham., 1. t. 115.; Eng. Bot., t. 1470.; Baxt. Brit. PL, t. 40. ; and our fg. 771., 
which exhibits a portion of a male plant, marked m, and of a female plant in fruit, marked f. 
Spec. Char., §c. Stem much branched, forked; with sessile intermediate 
heads, of about 5 flowers. Branches terete. Leaves obovate-lanceolate, 
obtuse, nerveless. (Don’s Miil., iii. p.403.) Parasitical both on deciduous 
and evergreen trees and shrubs. 
Description. The mistletoe forms an evergreen bush, 
pendent from the trunks and branches of trees, composed 
of dichotomous shoots, opposite leaves, and yellow flowers, 
which are succeeded by fruit, which is almost always white, 
but of which there is said to be a variety with red fruit. 
The plant is seldom more than 3 ft. or 4 ft. in diameter; it 
is thickly crowded with branches and leaves. Their 
growth is slow, seldom more than 2in. or 3in. of the 
shoot, and two or three pairs of leaves, being produced 
in a season. The leaves vary considerably in different 771 
plants, as may be seen in fig. 772., which contains engravings of three different 
specimens, sent to us by our esteemed friend, Mr. Baxter, curator of the Bo- 
tanic Garden, Oxford; all reduced to the same scale of 2in. to a foot. The 
durability of the plant is proportionably great ; for, when once established on a 
tree, it isseldom known to cease growing wiile the tree is in life; but, when 
it dies, or the branch on which it is rooted decays, or becomes diseased, the 
death of the mistletoe immediately follows. 
Geography. The mistletoe is found throughout Europe, and in the colder 
regions of Asia; and probably, also, of Africa and South America, though the 
species found in these countries have other names. It is found in various 
parts of England; and it has also been discovered in one situation in Scot- 
land (Meikleour); though it cannot be considered as truly indigenous there. 
Thetrees on which the mistletoe grows belong to various natural orders; and, 
indeed, it would be difficult to say on what dicotyledonous trees it will not 
grow. In England, it is found on Tiliacez, Aceracez, Rosdicez, Cupulifere, 
Salicacez, Oleacez, and, we believe, also on Conifer. At any rate, in the 
neighbourhood of Magdeburg, it is growing in immense quantities on Pinus 
sylvéstris. In France, it grows on trees of all the natural orders mentioned, 
‘but least frequently on the oak. It does not grow on the olive in France, 
though it abounds on the almond. In Spain, it grows on the olive; as it does 
in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem; and, in the latter locality, is found the 
variety with red fruit, which is perhaps a Loranthus. In England, it is most 
abundant on the apple tree, in the cider counties; but, in artificial plantations, 
it is to be found on most of the trees of which they consist. It is abundant 

