Mistletoe

Mistletoe is the popular name for plants of the order Santalales that are obligate hemiparasitic. They are linked to their host tree or shrub by a structure known as the haustorium, which allows them to absorb water and nutrients from the host plant. The plant Viscum album (European mistletoe, of the family Santalaceae in the order Santalales) was initially given the name mistletoe; it is the only species native to the British Isles and much of Europe. Viscum cruciatum, a similar species with red rather than white fruits, is found in southwest Spain and southern Portugal, as well as Morocco in North Africa and southern Africa. Viscum album was introduced to Northern California in 1900, despite the fact that the genus Viscum is not native to North America.

Phoradendron leucarpum, the eastern mistletoe unique to North America, is a separate genus in the Santalaceae family. The smooth-edged, round, evergreen leaves of European mistletoe are borne in pairs along the woody stem, and it produces waxy, white berries in clusters of two to six. The eastern mistletoe of North America is similar, but has shorter, wider leaves and longer clusters of berries with ten or more berries. Over the centuries, the term has been broadened to include many other species of parasitic plants with similar habits found in other parts of the world and classified in different genera and families, such as the Misodendraceae of South America and the primarily tropical Loranthaceae of the southern hemisphere.