Mistletoe

About this time every fall when the trees have lost there leaves I look for Mistletoe.  I can remember as a kid reading that it was harvested by shooting it down with a shotgun--seemed like a lot of fun.  As you can see in these pictures in my neighborhood it grows in the upper branches and the only practical way to bring it down would be to shoot it.   

Mistletoe is not a true parasite though its roots do get water and minerals from the tree.  It has evergreen leaves for photosynthesis.  Mistletoe means "dung on a twig" since birds carry the seeds from tree to tree but it's not necessary for a bird to ingest it for the seed to sprout.  The female plant has the white waxy berries that we associate with Christmas mistletoe.  It took me awhile to find a female plant.  The berries are much larger clusters than I expected.