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It was said to have had magical power by the Celtic and Teutonic peoples.
Mistletoe is a plant belonging to the order Santalales.There are over 900 species of mistletoe but the mistletoe that is commonly sold for Christmas is the species Phoradendron flavescens.
Viscum album (European mistletoe) and Phoradendron leucarpum (American mistletoe) are used for medicinal purposes.
mistletoe bird
mistletoe, holly
It is unknown why the plant is called mistletoe. It is accepted as the common name of a parasitic evergreen species.
Mistletoe is the common name for most obligate hemiparasitic plants in the order Santalales
mistletoe, holly
viscum album
Mistletoe
Ecologically, mistletoe plays an important role in enhancing diversity in an ecosystem as well as provide a means for distribution of pollen.Culturally, mistletoe has significance in Christmas as well as Druidic and Nordic mythology. The former is the custom of kissing under the mistletoe, the origin of which is from Druidic customs of using mistletoe to ward off evil. It was also said that Loki killed Balder with an arrow made of mistletoe, because that was the one plant Frigga had not asked to never harm her son.
The fruits (drupes) don't have a name.