By Elaine Smyth
This holiday season, have you stopped beneath a sprig of mistletoe to share a kiss with a loved one? If so, you took part in a long-standing winter tradition with roots in ancient times. Writing 2,000 years ago, the Roman historian Pliny the Elder (d. 79 A.D.) described a Druidic rite in which mistletoe was cut from a treetop using a golden sickle, carefully caught in a sacred white cloth before it touched the ground and then used to create a potion to cure infertility.
Anne Holmes, artist
The woody evergreen plant that we use today as an excuse for holiday smooching is just one of more than 1,300 species, worldwide, that botanists call mistletoes. They are defined by their shared lifestyle: they are all partially parasitic, attaching themselves to trees and shrubs in forest canopies around the world, rather than growing in the earth.
Prized for plump green leaves and beautiful white berries, American mistletoe (Phoradendron leucarpum) is the familiar variety gathered and sold here at Christmastime. The species name leucarpum refers to the white berries, which are poisonous to humans and beloved by birds. Its genus name Phoradendron means “thief of wood,” referring to the water and minerals it steals from the many kinds of trees on which it grows. It is often known as “oak mistletoe” in North Carolina, but in fact it grows on 60 different species of trees including ashes, maples, oaks, poplars, tupelos, walnuts and willows.
American mistletoe is uncommon in Western North Carolina, but if it appears in one of your trees, you can welcome it rather than worrying. It is seldom damaging to the host tree and offers many ecological benefits. Its dense, “witch’s broom” growth provides excellent nesting habitat for birds ranging from Cooper’s Hawks to wrens. Its flowers, though tiny, pale and unobtrusive, are an important source of nectar for pollinators, blooming in late fall and early winter when nectar sources are scarce. Moreover, American mistletoe is also the only plant that the caterpillar of the gorgeous Great Purple Hairstreak Butterfly will eat. Thus, in the larger ecological realm, American mistletoe gives back at least as much as it takes.
Upcoming Events at Asheville Botanical Garden (ABG)
Certified Pollinator Advocate Series: Introduction to Plant-Pollinator Co-Evolution, with Phyllis Stiles. Co-sponsored by Bee City USA-Asheville
Tuesday, January 6, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Winter Edible Plants, with Roots Marshall
Saturday, January 10, 1–3 p.m.
Certified Pollinator Advocate Series: Battle Plans Against Exotic Invasive Plants, with Raven Sterling
Tuesday, February 3, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Learn more and register online at AshevilleBotanicalGarden.org.
The ABG Visitors Center/Garden Path Gift Shop—featuring local artists and artisans, garden-themed art, toys, tools, cards, and books—will reopen Monday, January 19. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
Asheville Botanical Garden, 151 W.T. Weaver Boulevard, is an independent nonprofit including more than 750 species of native plants in a 10-acre naturalistic setting. Our mission is to promote and showcase the value and diversity of plants native to the Southern Appalachian region by serving as an educational resource and urban destination for nature study and enjoyment. Supported by members, donors and volunteers, the Garden is free to all and is open daily from sunrise to sunset, year-round.
