They accomplish this thievery via a specialized structure that infiltrates host tissues. Mistletoes glom on to the branches of their plant “hosts,” siphoning off water and nutrients to survive. And researchers are still learning about how they evolved and the tricks they use to set up shop in plants from ferns and grasses to pine and eucalyptus.Īll of the species are parasites. They grow on every continent except Antarctica - in deserts and tropical rain forests, on coastal heathlands and oceanic islands. Worldwide, there are more than a thousand mistletoe species. So enamored is the mistletoe researcher that his home in Australia brims with mistletoe-themed items including wood carvings, ceramics and antique French tiles that decorate the bathroom and his pizza oven.Īnd plant evolution expert Daniel Nickrent does, too: He has spent much of his life studying parasitic plants and, at his Illinois residence, has inoculated several maples in his yard - and his neighbor’s - with mistletoes.īut the plants that entrance these and other mistletoe aficionados go far beyond the few species that are pressed into service around the holidays: usually the European Viscum album and a couple of Phoradendron species in North America, with their familiar oval green leaves and small white berries. ![]() ![]() But set aside the kissing custom and you’ll find a hundred and one reasons to appreciate the berry-bearing parasite for its very own sake.ĭavid Watson certainly does. ![]() Some plants are so entwined with tradition that it’s impossible to think of one without the other.
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