Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Our Eastern American mistletoe has the scientific name Phoradendron leucarpum. The first name comes from Greek words – phor meaning thief and dendron meaning tree – and it is parasitic -- taking nutrients from the host tree. The transparent white fruits are covered with an extremely sticky substance called viscin; when birds feed on them they often try to scrape them off their bills on branches or they expel the seeds in their droppings, in these ways mistletoe spreads to other trees. When a seed germinates, the initial penetration into the host tree’s branch is a root-like structure called a haustorium. It invades the vascular system of that plant, robbing the tree of water and nutrients and eventually girdling the section of the branch above it. Cutting off the exterior stems and leaves will not kill this parasitic plant as it will simply sprout again.
Mistletoe Reproduction
