|
|
Mistletoe Roots Not So Romantic
By
Aimee Nielson
 LEXINGTON, Ky., (Dec. 13, 2006) – Mistletoe usually triggers
innocent kisses underneath the plant in late December. However,
mistletoe is not as innocent as it appears. The plant is a pest
that grows on twigs and branches on Kentucky trees, extracting
water, minerals and food from its host.
“Mistletoes are highly visible on large trees throughout
Kentucky, especially in winter when trees have lost their
leaves,” said John Hartman, University of Kentucky College of
Agriculture plant pathologist. “The tree branch is often swollen
at the point of mistletoe attachment.”
Leafy mistletoes are most often associated with hardwoods in the
southern two-thirds of the United States. Cold weather limits
the pest in the northern part of the country. Hartman said
mistletoe seeds are spread by berry-eating birds, so even when
harvested the pest comes back in a few years. He also said
mistletoes can be harmful to trees in times of stress, mostly in
urban environments.
Furthermore, Hartman explained that mistletoe has not always
been associated with the Christmas holiday season.
“Mistletoe takes its name from the old Saxon ‘mistl-tan,’ which
means a different twig,” Hartman explained. “It refers to the
fact that it is growing on a tree, whose twigs it does not
resemble. It actually has distinctly pagan roots.”
Hartman said pagans believed that because the plant appeared to
be alive in winter while the host tree appears dead, it held the
life of the tree during the winter. Druids believed it
represented the spirit of the tree because it “grew in the air
on the sacred oak.”
“They harvested it with a golden sickle in a ceremonial ritual,”
Hartman said. “Ensuring that the mistletoe never touched the
ground, it was distributed among them and hung in their homes,
where it was supposed to bring them good luck.”
Some people in Celtic and Scandinavian countries still
ceremonially pluck mistletoe from trees on the eves of the
summer and winter solstices.
So why do people feel the urge to kiss underneath such a
notorious piece of evergreen during the holidays?
Hartman said part of mistletoe’s reputation can be attributed to
Norse mythology where Frigga, the goddess of love and beauty is
said to bestow a kiss on anyone walking beneath the plant, in
gratitude for the mistletoe-mediated restoration of her son from
possible death.
“The older tradition required a male to kiss a female under the
mistletoe, and when the berries were gone the plant was supposed
to lose its efficacy and no more kisses could be required,”
Hartman added.
Other mistletoe beliefs and traditions include placing branches
of the plant over house and stable doors in Europe to keep out
witches; giving the Christmas bunch of mistletoe to the first
cow that gave birth in the new year to bring luck to the entire
herd; using it as a plant of peace in Scandinavia, under which
enemies could declare a truce or spouses could “kiss and make
up.” In some parts of England, Christmas mistletoe is burned on
the 12th night so that all the boys and girls who kissed under
it would be spared the curse not to marry.
Hartman said mistletoe can be controlled on landscape trees by
pruning, if necessary. |
Contact: John Hartman 859-257-7445, ext. 80720 |
|
The UK College
of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across
the commonwealth with teaching, research and extension
to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
Questions/Comments,
e-mail the
webmaster
Copyright © 2001-2006 University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture,
Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service |
News Home
Other Headlines This Week
More
News
RSS Now Available
for those
using news aggregation programs
College News
|
