For the Christmas single by Colbie Caillat see Mistletoe (song). " Mistletoe " is a Christmas song performed by Colbie Caillat and written by friend and former manager Stacy Blue along with Caillat

Mistletoe
European mistletoe attached to a silver birch
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Santalales
Families
Santalaceae (Viscaceae) Loranthaceae Misodendraceae

Mistletoe is the common name for a group of hemi-parasitic plants in the order Santalales that grow attached to and within the branches of a tree or shrub. Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group Magnoliopsida is the Botanical name for a class of Flowering plants By definition the class will include the family Magnoliaceae, but its Santalales is an order of Flowering plants with a Cosmopolitan distribution but heavily concentrated in tropical and subtropical regions Santalaceae is a widely distributed family of Flowering plants which like other members of Santalales are partially parasitic on other plants Viscaceae is a family of Flowering plants In past decades several systems of plant taxonomy recognized this family notably the 1981 Cronquist system Loranthaceae is a family of Flowering plants which has been universally recognized by taxonomists Misodendron is a Genus of Hemiparasites which grow as Mistletoes on various species of Nothofagus. A parasitic plant is one that derives some or all of its sustenance from another plant Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. This article is about the taxonomic rank for the sequence of species in a taxonomic list see Taxonomic order In scientific classification used Santalales is an order of Flowering plants with a Cosmopolitan distribution but heavily concentrated in tropical and subtropical regions Parasitism evolved only nine times in the plant kingdom;^[1] of those, the parasitic mistletoe habit has evolved independently five times: Misodendraceae, Loranthaceae, Santalaceae (formerly considered the separate family Eremolepidaceae), and Santalaceae (formerly treated as the separate family Viscaceae). Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between Organisms of different Species. Misodendron is a Genus of Hemiparasites which grow as Mistletoes on various species of Nothofagus. Loranthaceae is a family of Flowering plants which has been universally recognized by taxonomists Santalaceae is a widely distributed family of Flowering plants which like other members of Santalales are partially parasitic on other plants Santalaceae is a widely distributed family of Flowering plants which like other members of Santalales are partially parasitic on other plants Santalaceae is a widely distributed family of Flowering plants which like other members of Santalales are partially parasitic on other plants Viscaceae is a family of Flowering plants In past decades several systems of plant taxonomy recognized this family notably the 1981 Cronquist system Although Viscaceae and Eremolepidaceae were placed in a broadly-defined Santalaceae by Angiosperm Phylogeny Group 2, they originated independently, according to DNA sequences analysed by Dan Nickrent, Southern Illinois University. The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, or APG, refers to two international groups of systematic botanists who came together to try to establish a consensus view of the

The word 'mistletoe' is of uncertain etymology; it may be related to German Mist, for dung and Tang for branch, but Old English mistel was also used for basil. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Basil ( Ocimum basilicum) (ˈbeɪzəl or /ˈbæzəl/ of the Family Lamiaceae.

Contents 1 Species 2 Life cycle 3 Ecological importance 4 In culture and mythology 4.1 Kissing under mistletoe at Christmas 5 Other uses 6 References 7 Images 8 External links

Species

The name was originally applied to Viscum album (European Mistletoe, Santalaceae), the only species native in Great Britain and much of Europe. Viscum album is a species of Mistletoe, the species originally so-named and also known as European Mistletoe or Common Mistletoe See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Later it was extended to other related species, including Phoradendron serotinum (the Eastern Mistletoe of eastern North America, also Santalaceae). Phoradendron is a genus of Mistletoes native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Americas. European Mistletoe is readily recognized by its smooth-edged oval evergreen leaves borne in pairs along the woody stem, and waxy white berries in dense clusters of 2 to 6. In geometry an oval or ovoid (from Latin ovum, 'egg' is any Curve resembling an egg or an Ellipse. In America, the Eastern Mistletoe is similar, but has shorter, broader leaves and longer clusters of 10 or more berries. In the US, Phoradendron flavescens is commercially harvested for Christmas decorations. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Phoradendron is a genus of Mistletoes native to warm temperate and tropical regions of the Americas.

The largest family of Mistletoes, Loranthaceae, has 73 genera and over 900 species. ^[2] Subtropical and tropical climates have markedly more Mistletoe species; Australia has 85, of which 71 are in Loranthaceae, and 14 in Santalaceae. The subtropics are the zones of the Earth immediately north and south of the tropic zone which is bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of The Tropics are centered on the Equator and limited in Latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately 23°26' (23 Climate encompasses the temperatures humidity rainfall atmospheric particle count and numerous other meteorogical factors in a given region over long periods of For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. .

Life cycle

Mistletoe species grow on a wide range of host trees, and commonly reduce their growth but can kill them with heavy infestation. In Biology, a host is an organism that harbors a Virus or Parasite, or a mutual or Commensal Symbiont, typically providing nourishment Viscum album can parasitise more than 200 tree and shrub species. Almost all mistletoes are hemi-parasites, bearing evergreen leaves that do some photosynthesis, and using the host mainly for water and mineral nutrients. A parasitic plant is one that derives some or all of its sustenance from another plant In Botany, an Evergreen plant is a plant having leaves all year round In Botany, a leaf is an above-ground Plant organ specialized for Photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a Metabolic pathway that converts Light Energy into Chemical energy. An exception is the leafless quintral, Tristerix aphyllus, which lives deep inside the sugar-transporting tissue of a spiny cactus, appearing only to show its tubular red flowers. Tristerix is a Genus of Flowering plant in the Loranthaceae family native to the Andes from Colombia to ^[3] The genus Arceuthobium (dwarf mistletoe; Santalaceae) has reduced photosynthesis; as an adult, it manufactures only a small proportion of the sugars it needs from its own photosythesis but as a seedling it actively photosynthesizes until a connection to the host is established. The Genus Arceuthobium, commonly called Dwarf Mistletoes, is a genus of 42 species of Parasitic plants that parasitize members Sugar is a class of edible Crystalline substances mainly Sucrose, Lactose, and Fructose. A seedling is a young plant Sporophyte developing out of a plant embryo from a Seed.

Some species of the largest family, Loranthaceae, have small, insect-pollinated flowers (as with Santalaceae), but others have spectacularly showy, large, bird-pollinated flowers. See also Pollination syndrome Entomophily is a form of pollination whereby Pollen is distributed by Insects particularly Bees A flower, also known as a bloom or Blossom, is the reproductive structure found in Flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also Pollination in angiosperms and Gymnosperms is the process that transfers pollen grains, which contain the male Gametes (sperm to where the female

Most mistletoe seeds are spread by birds, such as the Mistle Thrush in Europe, the Phainopepla in southwestern North America, and Dicaeum of Asia and Australia; they derive sustenance through eating the fruits (drupes). The Mistle Thrush ( Turdus viscivorus) is a common member of the thrush family Turdidae The Phainopepla ( Phainopepla nitens) is the most northerly representative of the mainly tropical Central American family Ptilogonatidae, the Silky Dicaeum is a genus of Birds in the Flowerpecker family a group of Passerines tropical southern Asia and Australasia from In Botany, a drupe is a Fruit in which an outer fleshy part ( Exocarp, or skin and Mesocarp, or flesh surrounds a shell (the pit The seeds are excreted in their droppings and stick to twigs, or more commonly the bird grips the fruit in its bill, squeezes the sticky coated seed out to the side, and then wipes its bill clean on a suitable branch. The seeds are coated with a sticky material called viscin (containing both cellulosic strands and mucopolysaccharides), which hardens and attaches the seed firmly to its future host. Cellulose is an Organic compound with the formula, a Polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand β(1→4 Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs or mucopolysaccharides are long unbranched Polysaccharides consisting of a repeating Disaccharide unit

Ecological importance

Mistletoe was often considered a pest that kills trees and devalues natural habitats, but was recently recognized as an ecological keystone species, an organism that has a disproportionately pervasive influence over its community. A keystone species is a Species that has a disproportionate effect on its environment relative to its abundance ^[4] A broad array of animals depend on mistletoe for food, consuming the leaves and young shoots, transferring pollen between plants, and dispersing the sticky seeds. Pollen is a fine to coarse powder consisting of microgametophytes ( pollen grains) which produce the male Gametes (sperm cells of The dense evergreen witches' brooms formed by the dwarf mistletoes (Arceuthobium species) of western North America also make excellent locations for roosting and nesting of the Northern Spotted Owls and the Marbled Murrelets. The Genus Arceuthobium, commonly called Dwarf Mistletoes, is a genus of 42 species of Parasitic plants that parasitize members The Genus Arceuthobium, commonly called Dwarf Mistletoes, is a genus of 42 species of Parasitic plants that parasitize members The Spotted Owl, Strix occidentalis, is a species of owl. It is a resident species of forests in western North America, where it nests in tree holes The Marbled Murrelet ( Brachyramphus marmoratus) is a small Seabird from the North Pacific. In Australia the Diamond Firetails and Painted Honeyeaters are recorded as nesting in different mistletoes. The Diamond Firetail Stagonopleura guttata is a species of Estrildid finch found in eastern Australia, from Eyre Peninsula, South Australia The honeyeaters are a large and diverse family of small to medium sized birds most common in Australia and New Guinea, This behavior is probably far more widespread than currently recognized; more than 240 species of birds that nest in foliage in Australia have been recorded nesting in mistletoe, representing more than 75% of the resident avifauna.

A study of mistletoe in junipers concluded that more juniper berries sprout in stands where mistletoe is present, as the mistletoe attracts berry-eating birds which also eat juniper berries; juniper berries that have passed through a bird's digestive tract are less likely to remain imprisoned within a hardened outer capsule. Junipers are Coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. ^[5] Such interactions lead to dramatic influences on diversity, as areas with greater mistletoe densities support higher diversities of animals. Thus, rather than being a pest, mistletoe can have a positive effect on biodiversity, providing high quality food and habitat for a broad range of animals in forests and woodlands worldwide. Biodiversity is the variation of Life forms within a given Ecosystem, Biome or for the entire Earth.

In culture and mythology

European mistletoe, Viscum album, figured prominently in Greek mythology, and is believed to be The Golden Bough of Aeneas, ancestor of the Romans. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance The Golden Bough A Study in Magic and Religion is a wide-ranging comparative study of Mythology and Religion, written by Scottish anthropologist Sir This article is about the Roman hero For other uses see Aeneas (disambiguation. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC ^[6] The Norse god Baldur was killed with a spear made of mistletoe. Norse mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and Legends of the Scandinavian peoples including those who settled on Iceland This is an article about a particle accelerator For uses of spear, see Spear or Spear (disambiguation. ^[7]

Mistletoe bears fruit at the time of the Winter Solstice, the birth of the new year, and may have been used in solstitial rites in Druidic Britain as a symbol of immortality. The winter solstice occurs at the instant when the Sun 's position in the sky is at its greatest angular distance on the other side of the equatorial plane from the In Celtic mythology and in druid rituals, it was considered a remedy for barrenness in animals and an antidote to poison^[8], although the fruits of many mistletoes are actually poisonous if ingested as they contain viscotoxins. Celtic mythology is the Mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the Religion of the Iron Age Celts Like other Iron Age A druid was a member of the priestly and learned class in the ancient Celtic societies In the context of Biology, poisons are substances that can cause damage, Illness, or Death to Organisms usually by Viscotoxin is a member of a group of small Proteins produced by mistletoe plants that can kill cells and may stimulate the Immune system.

An old Christian tradition said that mistletoe was once a tree and furnished the wood of the Cross. The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which by a Christian tradition are believed to be from the actual cross upon which Jesus was crucified After the Crucifixion, the plant shriveled and became dwarfed to a parasitic vine. Crucifixion (from Latin crucifixio, noun of process crucifixio, from perfect passive participle crucifixus, fixed to a cross from Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between Organisms of different Species. [2]

In Romanian traditions, mistletoe (vâsc in Romanian) is considered a source of good fortune. Romanian or Daco-Romanian ( dated: Rumanian or Roumanian; self designation limba română, ˈlimba roˈmɨnə is a Romance The medical and the supposed magical properties of the plant are still used, especially in rural areas.

A popular myth says that the Mistletoe was cut with a gold sickle and it lost its power if it fell and touched the ground. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 A sickle is a hand-held Agricultural Tool with a curved Blade typically used for harvesting grain crop or cutting grass for Hay. This is a confusion with the Holly 'holy' Tree, the most sacred tree of the druids (after the Oak) due to both plants being green all year, having colorful fruits and sharing similar history of winter months. Holly ( Ilex) is a Genus of about 600 Species of Flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only A druid was a member of the priestly and learned class in the ancient Celtic societies Getafix, the druid in the Asterix comics was often seen up trees collecting Mistletoe, and it was alluded to be an ingredient in his magic potion. This is a list of recurring characters in the Asterix comics Main characters Asterix Obelix and Dogmatix (en The Adventures of Asterix ( French: Astérix or Astérix le Gaulois) is a series of French

Mistletoe has sometimes been nicknamed the vampire plant because it can probe beneath the tree bark to drain water and minerals, enabling it to survive during a drought. Vampires are mythological or folkloric revenants who subsist by feeding on the blood of the living Bark, also known as periderm is the outermost layer of stems and Roots of Woody plants such as Trees It overlays the Wood and consists William Shakespeare gives it an unflattering reference in Titus Andronicus, Act II, Scene I: "Overcome with moss and baleful mistletoe". William Shakespeare ( baptised Titus Andronicus may be Shakespeare's earliest Tragedy; it is believed to have been written sometime between 1584 and the early 1590s

Mistletoe is commonly used as a Christmas decoration, though such use was rarely alluded to into the 18th century. NOTICE TO WOULD-BE-ROMEOS*************** ^[9] Viscum album is used in Europe whereas Phoradendron serotinum is used in North America. According to custom, the mistletoe must not touch the ground between its cutting and its removal as the last of Christmas greens at Candlemas; it may remain hung through the year, often to preserve the house from lightning or fire, until it was replaced the following Christmas Eve. The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus, and falls on or around 2 February. ^[10]. The tradition has spread throughout the English-speaking world but is largely unknown in the rest of Europe. The appearance and nature of the fruit's content (viscin) is very similar or suggestive of human semen and this has strengthened its pagan connections. Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus Physiological aspects Internal and external fertilization Depending on the Species, spermatozoa can fertilize Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller rustic" is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world

Mistletoe (Phoradendron flavescens) is the state floral emblem for the State of Oklahoma. In a number of countries plants have been chosen as symbols to represent specific geographic areas Oklahoma ( is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. The state did not have an official flower, leaving the Mistletoe as the assumed state flower until the Oklahoma Rose was designated as such in 2004. In a number of countries plants have been chosen as symbols to represent specific geographic areas Oklahoma Rose is a hybrid tea rose developed in 1964 at Oklahoma State University by Herbert C

Kissing under mistletoe at Christmas

According to a custom of Christmas cheer, any two people who meet under a hanging of mistletoe are obliged to kiss. A kiss is the touching of one person's lips to another place which is used as an expression of Affection, Respect, Greeting, Farewell The custom is Scandinavian in origin. ^[11]

The custom has been incorporated into various holiday songs. The 1943 song I'll Be Home for Christmas tells the story of a lonely traveler looking forward to coming home and seeing, among other things, mistletoe. " I'll Be Home for Christmas " is a Christmas Song, written by Walter Kent. The Mistletoe is mentioned in the song "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire" ("The Christmas Song"), made famous by Nat King Cole, and written by Mel Torme. "Christmas Song" redirects here For the Mannheim Steamroller record of the same name see Christmas Song (album. Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17 1919 &ndash February 15 1965 known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician Melvin Howard Tormé ( September 13, 1925 &ndash June 5, 1999) nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician known as The song "A Holly Jolly Christmas" sung by Burl Ives, and used for the TV special "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer", features the line, "Ho Ho, the Mistletoe", and the line, "Kiss her once for me". Johnny Marks ( November 10, 1909 - September 3, 1985) was an American Songwriter. Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives ( 14 June 1909 &ndash 14 April 1995) was an Academy Award winning American actor and acclaimed In 1961 singer Aretha Franklin released a Christmas song called Kissin' by the Mistletoe. Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25 1942 Franklin has had a total of twenty number-one singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart, two of which became #1 hits on the In 1971 singer Lynn Anderson recorded the song Mr. Mistletoe on her holiday album The Christmas Album. The song talks about an elf who hangs mistletoe in homes so that people can "steal a kiss from someone that they know". In 2001 Barbra Streisand released the song It Must Have Been the Mistletoe. Barbra Streisand (ˈstraɪsænd "STRY-sand" born April 24 1942 is an American Singer, Film and Theatre Actress Rocking around the Christmas Tree also refers to "mistletoe hung where you can see, every couple tries to stop". A popular child's Christmas song's first line is, "I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus, underneath the mistletoe last night. "

Other uses

Mistletoe leaves and young twigs are used by herbalists, and it is popular in Europe, especially in Germany, for treating circulatory and respiratory system problems, and cancer. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Cancer (medical term Malignant Neoplasm) is a class of Diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled ^{[12] [13] [14]} Mistletoe is being studied as a potential treatment for tumors. Although such use is not yet permitted in the US, mistletoe is prescribed in Europe. [3] [4]

The sticky juice of mistletoe berries was used as adhesive to trap small animals or birds. Glue or adhesive is a compound that adheres or bonds two items together The activity of animal trapping has two separate but related meanings

References

Images

Mistletoe in an apple tree in Essex, England	Mistletoe in an apple tree in Essex, England	Mistletoe bush on a Eucalyptus tree	Mistletoe attached to Eucalyptus host
Mistletoe fruits	The sticky seed of the mistletoe on a branch	Red mistletoe, New Zealand	Mistletoe in San Bernardino Mountains

External links

• About mistletoe
• Parasitic Plant Connection. See families Misodendraceae, Loranthaceae, Santalaceae, and Viscaceae
• Introduction to Parasitic Flowering Plants by Nickrent & Musselman
• Mistletoe phylogenetics; 2000 WIFDWK pdf by Nickrent
• Encyclopedia of Life Sciences 2001 pdf by Nickrent
• Phoradendron serotinum images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu
• More Information
• Scientific Studies, Research and Clinical Trials on Mistletoe Treatment in Cancer

Eucalyptus (From Greek ευκάλυπτος meaning "well covered" is a diverse Genus of Trees (and a few shrubs the members of which Eucalyptus (From Greek ευκάλυπτος meaning "well covered" is a diverse Genus of Trees (and a few shrubs the members of which The San Bernardino Mountains ( Huwaaly Kwasakyav in Mojave) are a short transverse Mountain range northeast of Los Angeles in

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic