Mistletoe: friend or foe?

I catch up with my mother each week via long-distance phone call, since she winters near St. Augustine, Florida, and I'm toughing it out amid the harsh beauty of upstate New York.  But Mother Nature throws each of us a curve every now and then, no matter what region we reside in. 

During our most recent phone conversation, my mom lamented over the discovery of mistletoe in her oak tree.  "My oak has not been growing well, and my gardener pointed out the mistletoe clinging to some of it's branches," came her worried tone.  "Do you think the mistletoe is harming the oak?"

Being only familiar with the holiday-decorating aspects of the plant, I assured her I would do a little research, and find out.  Here's what I discovered:

Mistletoe is a parasite.  Uh oh, that doesn't sound good.  Parasites are freeloaders, kind of like old Uncle Ed and Aunt Lil, who have a habit of appearing on your doorstep unannounced, and parking their bags in your spare bedroom before disclosing future plans to vacate the premises.  Don't panic!  Take a deep breath.  Mistletoe may not have been invited, but, like Uncle Ed, it's a slow mover.  And, on the positive side, with a scent like oranges, it likely smells a lot better than that old geezer.

But, also like your ancient houseguests, it can be hard to get rid of.  A native of Europe and northern Asia, it has made the long journey to these parts, and it likes it enough here to settle in comfortably.  It attaches itself to trees by a structure called haustorium (rather than roots in the soil) through which is absorbs nutrients and water from its host (a thick, juicy tree branch), and grows in a ball shape that remains green throughout cold-weather months (a telltale sign that it has taken up residence in your barren treetops).  Large trees can support this uninvited guest, but smaller ones will suffer, so it's important to cut out the mistletoe, and a few select branches.  Be careful when pruning though: if you clip more than a third of the branches, you will severely damage the tree.  Thinned branches continue to grow and strengthen trees, but not if they're all hacked off!

For free, attractive holiday decorations,  you can clip the mistletoe mass right out of the tree, and attach it to your front porch eaves with festive ribbon.  A well-known Christmas-decorating staple, I think the attractive green foliage would add pizazz to St. Patrick's Day festivities as well.  It would even welcome spring in a hale and hearty manner.  Hanging it outside (35-48 degrees is best) will preserve it all season long, enabling anyone who stands under it to partake in the ritual of kissing beneath it.  But beware, the ancients believed mistletoe held the gift of fertility.  And based on the plant's tenacious growing habit, I'm inclined to agree.

*Photo courtesy of Wikipedia