Viscum album

Viscum album is a species of mistletoe, the species originally so-named, and also known as European Mistletoe or Common Mistletoe to distinguish it from other related species. It is native to Europe, and western and southern Asia.

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It is a hemi-parasitic shrub, which grows on the stems of other trees. It has stems 30-100 cm long with dichotomous branching. The leaves are in opposite pairs, strap-shaped, entire, leathery textured, 2-8 cm long and 0.8-2.5 cm broad, yellowish-green in colour. Usually dioecious, the flowers are inconspicuous, yellowish-green, 2-3 mm diameter. The fruit is a white or yellow berry containing several seeds embedded in the very sticky, glutinous fruit pulp.

Up to four subspecies are commonly accepted (Flora Europaea, Flora of China, Bean 1980, Blamey & Grey-Wilson 1989), and two others sometimes so. They differ in fruit colour, leaf shape and size, and most obviously in the host trees utilised.

• Viscum album subsp. abietis (Wiesb.) Abromeit. Central Europe. Fruit white; leaves up to 8 cm. On Abies.
• Viscum album subsp. album. Europe, southwestern Asia east to Nepal. Fruit white; leaves 3-5 cm. On Malus, Populus, Tilia, and less often on numerous other species, including (rarely) Quercus.
• Viscum album subsp. austriacum (Wiesb.) Vollmann. Fruit yellow; leaves 2-4 cm. Central Europe. On Larix, Pinus, Picea.
• Viscum album subsp. meridianum (Danser) D.G.Long. Southeastern Asia. Fruit yellow; leaves 3-5 cm. On Acer, Carpinus, Juglans, Prunus, Sorbus.
• Viscum album subsp. creticum Böhling et al. has recently been described from eastern Crete (Böhling et al. 2002). Fruit white; leaves short. On Pinus brutia.
• Viscum album subsp. coloratum Kom. is treated by the Flora of China as a distinct species Viscum coloratum (Kom) Nakai.

Mythology and symbolism

It has always attracted interest and has been surrounded by a number of myths and legends. In some countries it plays a part in Christmas festivities. It also features in the popular Asterix comic books, where mistletoe collected from oaks was considered to have special qualities.

References

• Flora Europaea: Viscum album
• Flora of China: Viscum album
• Flora of Pakistan: Viscum album
• Viscum album subsp. creticum
• Bean, W. J. (1980). Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles 8th ed. 4: 725-726. ISBN 0-7195-2428-8
• Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). The Illustrated Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 0-340-40170-2.
• Böhling, N., Greuter, W., Raus, T., Snogerup, B., Snogerup, S. & Zuber, D. (2003). Notes on the Cretan mistletoe, Viscum album subsp. creticum subsp. nova (Loranthaceae/Viscaceae). Israel J. Pl. Sci. 50 (Suppl.): 77-84.
• Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening 4: 676. ISBN 0-333-47494-5