sweet Christmas kisses
By Sarah Das Gupta
beneath the white mistletoe
secret memories
Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant which lives off the nutrients and water from the host plant. Birds often spread the seeds from tree to tree, especially blackcaps and the mistle thrush which explains why clumps of mistletoe are found near the tops of trees.
In UK mistletoe is found most commonly in the south-west Midlands, particularly in Herefordshire. It is almost unseen in Scotland, Ireland and the rest of Wales. When picked, it will last for 2 weeks in a cool place. It would appear the plant has no connection with toes. This seems to be a corruption of the old English ‘tan’, meaning ‘twig’.
There has been some decline in mistletoe as a result of the diminishing number of old orchards, the apple being the favourite host, together with poplar, lime and conifers.
Mistletoe played an important role in Nordic legend. Balder was killed by his blind brother, Hodr, who used the plant as a missile. The Druids also valued the plant for medicinal purposes. The association of the plant with Christmas is probably because the berries appear in December and the leaves remain green. There is some evidence that the Greek holiday, Kronia, was associated with mistletoe and kissing. Many different varieties of mistletoe exist with different coloured berries in other continents
| Botanical name: | Viscum album |
| Popular names: | Mistletoe |
| Family: | Santalaceae |
| Origin: | Northern Europe |
| Flowering: | February-April |
| Habitat: | Branches of apple, conifer, hawthorn, lime, poplar etc. |
Further reading:
‘A Little Book About Mistletoe’, Jonathan Briggs, 2013, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
‘Mistletoe Winter’, Roy Dennis, 2021, Saraband.
‘Blood and Mistletoe, History of the Druids in Britain’, Ronald Hutton, 2011, Yale University Press.
‘Mistletoe’, Royal Horticultural Society.
Author bio:
Sarah Das Gupta is a young 81 year old. Loves writing haiku and most forms of poetry. Is learning to walk after an accident. Main outside interests include equine sports. Lives near Cambridge, UK. Read other sciku by Sarah here: ‘Redundant Ergot‘, ‘Redundant Vets’, ‘Dog’s Mercury’, ‘Bird’s Foot Trefoil’ and ‘The Glastonbury Thorn’.