Panhandle Plantings-A new column by Master Gardener Val Ford
Mistletoe: A Tradition of Love
There are more than one species and genus of mistletoe, but the one we’re interested in is American Mistletoe, the larval food for the Great Blue Hairstreak butterfly. The name mistletoe derives from the Anglo-Saxon for "dung-on-a-twig," all because someone somewhere in the past associated birds on twigs with the appearance of mistletoe. We have since come to our senses and figured out that mistletoe is propagated from the seed birds leave on tree limbs, not from spontaneous generation out of bird droppings.
Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant; i.e. its roots (haustoria) penetrate the cambium layer of the tree into the xylem (the water conducting tissue), probing into a limb 12 to18 inches, supplying the plant with all of its water and dissolved mineral needs via the host. It takes two to three years for a mistletoe plant to mature, produce flowers and berry. These are the favorite food for many birds, the primary distribution method for mistletoe seeds.
It’s possible that mistletoe could kill the host tree, but generally this is not the case. There is only one sure-fire way of ridding a tree of mistletoe – cutting off the hosting limb at least 18 inches beyond where the plant is growing. This provides some insurance of removing all haustoria and preventing a re-emergent growth somewhere else. Unfortunately, there’s no herbicide available to do the job.
Finally, let's get down to the really serious stuff – tradition and legend. In Brittany, the mistletoe is known as Herbe de la Croix, where legend has it that the Cross was made from mistletoe wood. This use is said to be partially responsible for the mistletoe’s degradation to parasite status.
The Scandinavian god of Peace, Balder, is said to have been killed by a mistletoe arrow. The other gods and goddesses petitioned for his resurrection and the mistletoe was subsequently given into the safekeeping of the goddess of Love. It was thence proclaimed that everyone who passed underneath the mistletoe would receive a kiss, to symbolize its transition from an instrument of hate to an emblem of love.
This legend has come down to us through the Anglo-Saxon tradition of kissing under the mistletoe. One should be aware of the proper convention for this pasttime (my etiquette has been sorely lacking for all these years!). After each kiss, a berry is removed from the mistletoe cluster. When the berries are gone, the kissing stops. Then someone has to go out and get another bunch – such a heavy responsibility!
WORDS OF WISDOM: The gardening season officially begins on January 31 and ends December 31.
Val Ford is a Holmes County Master Gardener. She is a three-time recipient of the Florida MG Award for Written Mass Communications for the weekly DeFuniak Springs Herald "Gardeners’ Dirt" column. If you have gardening questions or problems, contact your local County Extension Office, or Val at Flsnowflake7592@aol.com.
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