THE AQUAEIUM, JANUARY, 1894. 



95 



THE MISTLETOE. 



The Mistletoe (Viscum album) be- 

 longs to the natural order Loranthaceaj 

 and DicBcia-tetrandia of Linna?us. It is 

 a true parasitical plant, as at no period 

 of its existence does it derive any nour- 

 ishment from the soil or from decayed 

 bark, like the fungi and allied vegeta- 

 tion. Of this genus there are several 

 species ; this is the only one of special 

 interest, and is what is generally known 

 as the English Mistletoe. It is an ever- 

 green, pendant shrub, usually found 

 growing on fruit trees, but occasionally 

 fixing itself on the thorn, oak, maple and 

 ash ; very rarely on the pine. The stem, 

 when full grown, is an inch in diameter, 

 is very much branched or subdivided, 

 forming a head from two to five feet 

 in diameter. The bark is smooth, of a 

 yellowish green color. The leaves are 

 tongue-shaped, entire, in pairs on very 

 short foot stalks. The flowers are male 

 and female in different plants, axillary, 

 and in short, close spikes. Neither 

 the male nor female flowers have a 

 corolla ; the stamens and pistils spring 

 from the calyx. The fruit is a globular 

 white berry covered with a viscous 

 substance ; these berries appear in win- 

 ter, and are in perfection about Christ- 

 mas. 



The Mistletoe may be made to grow 

 on the apple or other trees, where the 

 climate is not colder than that of Eng- 

 land, by cutting a notch in the bark on 

 the under surface of a branch, and care- 

 fully inserting the seed therein ; the only 

 precaution being necessary is to place 

 the seed in such a position that the 

 embryo shall be directed toward the 

 trunk of the tree, and that the seed 

 shall not be bruised. The growth of the 

 Mistletoe is very slow, rarely more than 

 two or three inches of the shoot, and 

 two or three pairs of leaves being pro- 



duced in a season ; the durability of the 

 plant is proportionately great, for when 

 once established on a tree it is seldom 

 known to cease growing until it has 

 exhausted the vitality of the tree, caus- 

 ing its death. Many old orchards in 

 England have been completely de- 

 stroyed b}' this beautiful parasite. The 

 death of the trees is not, however, to 

 be greatly regretted, as the Mistletoe 

 brings a high price in the markets, 

 more than the value of the tree. Hun- 

 dreds of tons of it are sold annually for 

 Christmas decoration ; it is now regu- 

 larly imported into this country for the 

 same purpose. The Mistletoe was a 

 special object of worship with the an- 

 cient Britons, and that many imj^ortant 

 rites were performed with it by the 

 Druids or priests is certain. By them 

 it was held sacred, and many virtues 

 were attached to it. I'hey sent round 

 their attendant youths with this plant 

 to anQounce the entrance of the New 

 Year ; and a somewhat similar custom 

 is still continued in France. The j^opu- 

 lar custom in England of kissing under 

 a branch of Mistletoe during the Christ- 

 mas festivities is referred to the sup- 

 position on the part of some that it was 

 the forbidden tree in the garden of 

 Eden. Mr. Louden supposes this 

 pleasant custom most likely came from 

 our Saxon ancestors, and to have been 

 commemorative of Balder, the son of 

 Odin, who is one of the heroes of Ice- 

 landic romance. According to the 

 story, it was prophesied that Balder 

 would die, to avert which fate his 

 mother exacted a vow from all things 

 on earth that they would not injure 

 him. One of his enemies, knowing 

 the Mistletoe had not taken the vow, 

 as it did not grow upon the earth but 

 on trees, made a dart of its wood, and 

 with it killed the hero. 



