196 
THE MISTLETOE AND PARASITIC PLANTS. 
BY MRS. LANKESTER. 
B UT few botanists would expect to prosecute tbcir researches 
in the midst of Christmas fetes and gambols, and even 
on specimens rescued from the lurid flame of a burning plum- 
pudding. Yet we can assure those of our readers whose 
botanical thirst is impatient for a supply of genuine spring 
flowers that no more interesting subjects for study can be 
found in the fields than the holly and the mistletoe — both, 
perhaps, associated more with the idea of indoor merry- 
makings than outdoor rambles. Neither are we limited in our 
botanical studies during the hard winter months, when all 
Nature seems hiding herself from observation, to these familiar 
and remarkable plants, — the coloured patches on the barks of 
trees, on old walls, and broken palings afford a whole world of 
interesting study ; and beautiful collections may be made of 
these variegated lichens. We, however, select the Mistletoe as 
the subject for our “ winter -s tale,” not only on account of its 
great botanical interest, but from its ancient and curious asso- 
ciations with the history of our country. 
The Mistletoe, Viscum album (Plate VIII., fig. 1), maybe re- 
garded as the type of parasitic jflants generally — of those 
plants which establish a habitation for themselves in the sub- 
stance of some other plant, and live and flourish on nutriment 
drawn from this source. 
The order Loranthacece, to which the Mistletoe belongs, and 
of which it is the only British representative, consists almost 
entirely of parasitic plants. But three genera are known in 
Europe. Nuytsia floribunda, an Australian plant, forms an 
exception to the parasitic nature of the species, and is a very 
beautiful shrub, with large bright orange-coloured flowers, 
which gain for it the name of fire-tree. 
In describing the order Loranthacece, we find that some bota- 
nists have separated a number of plants once included therein, 
and established another order, Viscaccce, of which Viscum is the 
type; Loranthus being that of the original order, Loranthacece. 
This distinction is not very generally adopted, and we are 
safe in regarding our mistletoe as belonging to the family 
