The plants have green stems with thick oval-shaped leaves. Clumps of mistletoe can often reach diameters of two feet or more. The plant produces sticky whitish, green berries from October to December.

But, botanically speaking, that’s what mistletoe is. There are some 1,300 species of this evergreen plant worldwide. They’re ...

Mistletoe is such a plant. But set aside the kissing custom and you’ll find a hundred and one reasons to appreciate the berry-bearing parasite for its very own sake. David Watson certainly does.

And why are people so amorous when they find themselves beneath it? Mistletoe, a parasitic plant, is actually accustomed to the suspension: In nature, it grows only on other trees’ branches.

There is no one mistletoe plant, as its name is given to a variety of different plant species with a parasitic lifestyle. Some species of mistletoe can only grow on certain host plants, like spruce ...