# Mistletoe (*Viscum album*)

Mistletoe is a unique plant that grows on tree branches. It has green leaves and white berries, making it a special sight during winter holidays.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 2/5 · Low
- **Habitat:** Trees
- **Also known as:** Common Mistletoe, European Mistletoe

![Mistletoe](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Viscum_album_2026_G1.jpg&width=800)

Photo: George Chernilevsky, CC BY 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Viscum_album_2026_G1.jpg)

## Appearance

The Mistletoe is an evergreen plant with leathery, oblong leaves growing in dense, rounded clumps on tree branches. It has small, waxy, yellowish-green flowers and produces distinctive translucent white berries, making it easily spotted in winter.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Santalales
- **Family:** Viscaceae
- **Genus:** Viscum

## Interesting facts

- Believe it or not, some butterflies actually lay their eggs ONLY on mistletoe!
- In Norse myths, the god Baldr could only be harmed by a mistletoe arrow!
- Mistletoe's sticky berries can glue themselves onto new tree branches!
- Some mistletoe plants can live for over 100 years, becoming giant green balls!

## Special abilities

- **Host Hugger:** Mistletoe can tap into host trees' water and nutrients, growing high in the canopy without needing soil roots.
- **Sticky Seed Shooter:** Its berries contain sticky seeds that birds spread to new branches, helping new mistletoe plants latch on.
- **Winter Wonder-Food:** Mistletoe provides food and shelter for wildlife during colder months when other resources are scarce.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 30-100 cm
- **Spread:** 30-100 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.1-0.3 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Late_winter-early_spring
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** Mild
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Eaten by:** [Mistle Thrush](https://www.snappit.app/explore/mistle-thrush) (*Turdus viscivorus*) — eats sticky berries, helps spread seeds
- **Parasitizes:** European Aspen (*Populus tremula*) — grows on branches, stealing water and nutrients
- **Parasitizes:** [Apple Tree](https://www.snappit.app/explore/apple-tree) (*Malus domestica*) — common host in orchards, can reduce fruit yield
- **Pollinates:** European Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — visits small flowers for nectar and pollen

## Traits

- [Evergreen](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/evergreen): Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once.
- [Fruit Bearing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-bearing): Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.
- [Parasitic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/parasitic): This trait describes organisms that live on or in a host organism, obtaining nutrients at the host's expense.

## Collections

- [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fungi)
- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 2/5 · Low

Admire mistletoe from a distance as some species can be toxic if ingested.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Mistletoe?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Mistletoe?

30-100 cm

### How wide does Mistletoe spread?

30-100 cm

### How big are the flowers on Mistletoe?

0.1-0.3 cm

### When does Mistletoe bloom?

Late_winter-early_spring

### Is Mistletoe edible?

No

### Is Mistletoe toxic?

Mild

### What is Mistletoe's lifecycle?

Perennial

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Mistletoe: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/mistletoe)