Exploring a Christmas Tradition - Mistletoe Podcast - Nebraska Extension in Holt and Boyd Counties

Exploring a Christmas Tradition - Mistletoe - December 14, 2023 - Amy Timmerman, Extension Educator

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• [0:00] This Amy Timmerman with this weeks Extension Update.
• [0:03] Today we are going to explore one Christmas tradition and that is mistletoe.
• [0:08] Using mistletoe in Christmas decorations
• [0:12] is a survival of the Druid and other pre-Christian traditions.
• [0:15] Mistletoe is one of the most sacred plants in European folklore.
• [0:18] It was once considered a bestower of life and fertility.
• [0:22] A good mistletoe crop foretold Welsh farmers
• [0:25] a good crop for the upcoming season.
• [0:28] Mistletoe was also thought to help individuals who had problems bearing children.
• [0:32] Mistletoe has long been a symbol with both magical powers and medical properties.
• [0:37] Mistletoe from sacred oaks was especially precious to ancient Celtic Druids.
• [0:42] It was gathered at both mid-summer and winter solstices for indoor decoration.
• [0:47] Mistletoe was so sacred to the Druids that if two enemies were to meet under it,
• [0:51] they had to lay down their weapons and observe a truce until the following day.
• [0:56] There are many other varied traditions associated with mistletoe.
• [1:00] It was used to ward off evil spirits and prevent
• [1:03] the entrance of witches during the Middle Ages.
• [1:06] It was thought to bring good luck to the entire herd of cattle
• [1:09] when given to the first cow that calved in the New Year.
• [1:12] At one time people thought mistletoe could even extinguish fire.
• [1:17] It was considered a protectant against poison
• [1:20] (although the berries are considered poisonous themselves).
• [1:23] And it has been historically used as a treatment
• [1:26] for pleurisy, gout, epilepsy, and rabies.
• [1:29] The name mistletoe came from a mistake made long ago.
• [1:33] In ancient times it was observed that mistletoe would often arise
• [1:36] on tree branches where birds had left droppings.
• [1:39] This led to the belief that mistletoe was propagated from bird droppings.
• [1:44] "Mistel" is the Ango-Saxon word for "dung" and "tan" is the word for "twig".
• [1:50] Hence, mistletoe means "dung-on-a-twig".
• [1:54] It was later found that mistletoe was actually propagated
• [1:57] by seeds instead of spontaneously arising from dung.
• [2:01] So what is mistletoe?
• [2:03] Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant with leathery,
• [2:06] evergreen leaves and small, white berries.
• [2:09] Mistletoe plants manufacture their own food, but
• [2:12] obtain water and mineral nutrients from a host plant.
• [2:16] Mistletoe obtains water and nutrients
• [2:19] via root-like haustoria that grow into the
• [2:21] host plant’s water-conducting tissue
• [2:24] stealing water and minerals from the host tree.
• [2:27] Mistletoe can grow on hundreds of kinds
• [2:29] of trees, both deciduous and evergreen.
• [2:32] An infected tree may be significantly weakened,
• [2:35] and may even die if many mistletoes infect it simultaneously.
• [2:39] During dry conditions, most trees adjust so that they use less water;
• [2:43] but mistletoe makes no adjustment,
• [2:46] so they are especially stressful to trees during droughts.
• [2:50] There are about 1500 species of mistletoe worldwide,
• [2:54] but the one we usually buy for a holiday decoration is American mistletoe.
• [2:59] American mistletoe can be found growing in deciduous trees from New Jersey
• [3:03] and southern Indiana southward to Florida and Texas.
• [3:07] It is the state floral emblem of Oklahoma.
• [3:11] Mistletoe sold during the holiday season is gathered in the wild.
• [3:15] Most mistletoe is harvested in Oklahoma and Texas,
• [3:19] where it is naturally abundant on a variety of trees.
• [3:21] This plant has waxy, white berries.
• [3:24] Because those berries are poisonous,
• [3:27] they are often replaced with fake berries before sale.
• [3:30] Individuals using mistletoe during the holiday season
• [3:32] should keep the sprigs out of the reach of children and pets.
• [3:36] Mistletoe berries are readily eaten by birds.
• [3:39] The birds digest the pulp of the berries and excrete the seeds.
• [3:43] The sticky seeds stick to the branches of trees.
• [3:46] At germination, the mistletoe seedling develops haustoria that grow
• [3:50] through the bark of the tree and into its water-conducting tissue.
• [3:53] And the entire cycle starts all over again.
• [3:56] This has been Amy Timmerman with Nebraska Extension.