Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Parasitic plants with the common name mistletoe occur almost worldwide and in many cultures were associated with myths and pagan religious rites. The Scottish anthropologist Sir James George Frazer wrote a comparative study of mythology and religion. In his book The Golden Bough which is one of the common names for mistletoe, he wrote extensively about the European mistletoe, Viscum album. In the American South, many people collect mistletoe by blasting it out of trees with shotguns. When the ancient Druids needed mistletoe for their ceremonies, they collected it with a golden sickle, letting it drop into a special cloth. They believed it had special properties associated with heaven when found growing in revered oak trees. If hostile warriors encountered one another under mistletoe-laden oaks, a truce was called. It was also credited with healing powers –interestingly, as today it is being tested for cancer therapy.
Mistletoe in Past Cultures
