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.

Additional recommended knowledge

How to quickly check pipettes?

Safe Weighing Range Ensures Accurate Results

Daily Visual Balance Check

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