388 WINTER FLOWERS AND FRUITS. 



great variety of trees, and occurring very commonly in the 

 south and west of England. The stems, which become woody 

 when old, consist of repeatedly-forked succulent branches, 

 which grow into dense tufts two or three feet in diameter, of 

 a yellowish-green colour, attached by a thickened base to the 

 branches of the foster trees. The leaves are narrow oblong 

 or ovate, lanceolate, obtuse, one pair growing at the end of 

 each branchlet. The flowers are sessile in the axils of some of 

 these pairs of leaves, the male and female ones produced on se- 

 parate plants. The males, which grow three or five together 

 in a somewhat cup-shaped fleshy bract, are without evident 

 calyx, but have a corolla of four ovate fleshy petals, united at 

 the base, the anthers being sessile in the centre of the petals, 

 and opening by several pores. The females are solitary, or 

 rarely two or three together, in a cup-shaped bract, with an 

 obscure entire superior calycine margin, four minute some- 

 what triangular petals, and a stigma sessile on the ovary. 

 The fruit is a white semi-transparent berry, enclosing a single 

 seed, which is surrounded by a mass of very glutinous pulp. 



The Mistletoe is ever associated in our ideas with the fes- 

 tival of Christmas, and with the well-known custom of deco- 

 rating churches and houses with evergreens at that season — 

 a custom which has been in existence ever since Christianity 

 has been planted amongst us, and appears to have been 

 derived from a similar practice of the Pagans. The plant is 

 sometimes — but now, at least, very rarely — found upon the 

 Oak. The Druids held it in high veneration when it was 

 seen growing on that tree ; and at certain seasons, especially, 

 it is said, at Yuletide or Christmas, they were accustomed to 

 gather it with great solemnity. " When the end of the year 

 approached, they marched with great solemnity to gather the 

 Mistletoe, in order to present it to God, inviting all the 



