Effect of Mistletoe

 

Plant description

 

The familiy of santalaceae has a lot of members around the world. In Europe and northern asia the mistletoe is the single member of this family.

The mistletoe is a partial parasite that grows on trees. It sucks the juice and minerals from the tree. But it has its own green color and can do photosynthesis.

Trees that have lots of mistletoes suffer from them and finally die from them. But mistletoes grows slowly and single plant wouldn't harm huge trees.

Some kinds of trees have mistletoes more often than other trees. Specially apple trees, poplars and firs are the most favourite trees for mistletoes.

The mistletoes put their root through the bark of the trees into the wood. There they anchor and suck water and minerals.

The branches of the mistletoes ramify again and again until they have the form of a ball.

At the tip of the small twigs there always grow two leaves that have the form of a long and narrow egg with the wide side at the outer edge.

For me, the leaves of the mistletoes look like funny ears.

From the end of february the mistletoes blossom. There are plants with femals flowers and other plants with male flowers. Both types of flowers are yellow and very small. The smell like an orange what makes them attractive to insects.

In september the white berries start to ripen. They are like glue and inside they have a seed