MISTLETOE FAMILY 



lives upon juices that it has not elaborated and is sup- 

 ported by root and trunk that are not its own. When 

 a Mistletoe is fairly established upon a branch it eats 

 into the very structure of the wood ; the branch is 



Fruiting Spray of American .Mistletoe. 



enlarged at the point of contact — often its diameter is 

 doubled. Our plant has fallen heir to the sentiment 

 and the folk-lore of Europe, and figures to a greater or 

 less extent in our Christmas decorations. 



436 



