Viscum
(the old Latin name used by Virgil and Pliny, akin to the Greek Ixos). Mistletoe. ORD. Loran-thaceae. A genus comprising nearly thirty species of stove, greenhouse, or hardy shrubs, parasitic on trees, inhabiting the temperate and warmer regions of the globe. Flowers dioecious or monoecious, at the axils or nodes, or at the tips of the branches, three to five in a fascicle or rarely solitary, the fascicles sessile or rarely on short peduncles; perianth tube in the male flowers very short and solid, in the females adnate with the ovary, the limb three or four-parted; bracts often small. Berry one-seeded, naked or crowned with the perianth. Leaves sometimes flat and rather thick, sometimes reduced to minute teeth or scales. V. album, the common Mistletoe, has been associated with many superstitions from the most ancient times, and has been highly extolled for its medicinal virtues. It is, however, now excluded from the Pharmacopoeias. "The origin of the modern custom connected with Mistletoe is not very clear. Like many other customs, its original significance is only guessed at. If known, perhaps the innocent merriment now associated with the plant would be exchanged for a feeling of stern disapproval, and the Mistletoe would be banished from our homes...Mistletoe may be made to grow on the Apple and other trees, by cutting a notch in the bark on the under-surface of a branch, and carefully inserting the seed therein. Two precautions are especially needed--one is to place the seed in such a position that the embryo shall be directed towards the trunk of the tree, and the other is to avoid crushing the seed. The Apple is the tree on which the Mistletoe grows most abundantly. The orchards in Herefordshire are greatly infested with this parasite, which, however, has a value of its own, for it appears that upwards of one hundred tons of Mistletoe are annually forwarded to London and other large towns from that county alone, for Christmas decorations. Some sorts of Apples are preferred to others for its growth, and, singularly enough, it is rarely, if ever, found on the Pear tree. Next in frequency to the Apple, the Mistletoe prefers the Poplars, though it is not found on the Lombardy Poplar. Hawthorns, Limes, Maples, and the Mountain Ash, are all favourite habitats for the plant. It has been found on the Cedar of Lebanon and on the Larch, but rarely upon the Oak. Dr. Bull, in a paper in the 'Journal of Botany' (ii.73), only mentions seven authentic instances of the growth of Mistletoe on the Oak in this country" (Dr. Masters). The ripe fruits may be crushed on young branches of Apple or Thorn trees, and the viscid pulp soon hardens and affords protection to the seed, as well as sufficient resistance to allow it, when germinating, to pierce the bark. To prevent birds from disturbing the seeds after being placed in position, it is necessary to cover with thin canvas, or some such material. V. album (white). Common Mistletoe. fl. green, ternate, inconspicuous. March to May. fr. white, nearly 1/2in. in diameter, ovoid or globose, viscid. l. opposite or in whorls of three, 1in. to 3in. long, obovate-lanceolate, obtuse, five to seven-nerved. Branches terete, dichotomous, knotted. h. 1ft. to 4ft. Europe (Britain), &c. Shrub yellowish-green, glabrous. (F.D.x.1657; Sy.En.B.635.)