Under the Mistletoe!

Ok, so maybe I am a bit late with the mistletoe tidings since usually, the mistletoe for whatever reason is considered to be a Christmas and on into New Year's thing. Today, however, when we were out clearing some unwanted acorns out of the lily beds, Son and I came across a large branch of the stuff. It had fallen from one of the oak trees and fell smack dab in the middle of the walkway. Normally, I would have just tossed it on the wheelbarrow to be hauled to the brush pile but I started pondering over the popular tradition attached to this evergreen. Kissing under the mistletoe is a holiday tradition from far back in time..eating mistletoe, however, is NOT! To start with, mistletoe is supposed to be highly poisonous! If eaten the berries and leaves can cause severe stomach problems and could possibly prove to be fatal! So just how in the world did the age-old tradition of "kissing under the mistletoe" ever get started? I know it is supposed to bring "luck" and the promise of a happy relationship to those who embrace under the sprig that is hung in the doorway but think about it..why would you ever take to the chance of bringing the poisonous plant into the house in the first place? And what if..just what if..whilst you were kissing your beloved under said poisonous plant, a single berry should drop off and land right between your puckered lips? Could you possibly be accused of trying to kill your beloved by poisoning him/her? Hmmmm..It just does not seem to be of the brightest logic to use mistletoe as a decoration. Why not use something like...poison ivy? It is quite lovely with its three leaves, white berries and wintry red leaves! Now, I am saying that in jest but to me it makes just about as much sense as using the green leaves and white berries of the mistletoe! Perhaps using mistletoe could be construed as "loving someone to death"? Oh, lets hope not!

Anyway, back to my large clump of mistletoe. I wondered just how in the world those big clumps ever get started up in the tree limbs. It is not as if they climb up there! I pondered that question and decided I needed to do a bit of research on the stuff. I came across a good bit of information that stated that if you squish the berries (seeds) they exude a sticky white liquid. This goop is squished out when the seeds pass through a bird after it has eaten the berry. (Don't ask...I guess they are just not poisonous to birds only to romantic couples trying to sneak a smooch!) When the bird poops the out the seed, if it happens to land on a suitable limb there it will stick! After about six weeks of hanging onto the limb, the seed sprouts and a new clump of mistletoe takes root in the host tree. You see, this mistletoe is a parasite that needs a host tree to provide it with moisture and nutrients so it is highly important that the bird chooses an appropriate tree on which to deposit the seed! Anyway..the mistletoe will grow there until it is knocked down either by the wind or someone trying to collect it for decorations!

I do find it strange that while most every source claims that the mistletoe berries and leaves are toxic, there are those that use it medicinally. It is the main ingredient in some of the alternative cancer treatments but no clinical studies support these claims. It would be highly interesting if something attached to beliefs of acquiring a long relationship could possibly become something that would prolong life in general. Then...my clump of wayward mistletoe would not be destined for the trash heap!