Bedside 11 12 03.Indd
Wandsworth SocietetyÈ ˘ ˘˘ ˘˘˘ ˘˘˘˘ ˘˘˘˘˘ ˘˘˘˘˘˘ ˘˘˘˘˘˘˘ ˘˘˘˘˘˘˘˘ ˘˘˘˘˘˘˘˘˘ ˘˘˘˘˘˘˘˘˘˘ The Bedside 1971 - FORTY YEARS ON - 2011 Mistletoe istletoe, forming as numerous illustrations show, it was remembered that a vile- evergreen clumps on the association of kissing and tasting tea, made from mistletoe apple and many other mistletoe was well established by which grew on hawthorn, was broad-leaved trees, Victorian times. used to treat measles. Other is a strange plant. It people have collected informa- Mabsorbs water and nutrients from tion on mistletoe being used to its host trees, but as it has chlo- treat hysteria in Herefordshire and rophyll it is able to make its own prevent strokes in Essex. food. If sufficiently mature seeds are Pliny the Elder in the first century used mistletoe can be easily A.D. described Druids in France grown on apple trees. Seeds cutting mistletoe from oak trees extracted from Christmas mistle- in a ritual which involved golden toe are not mature, so it’s neces- sickles, dressing in white cloaks, sary to collect berries in April, slaughtering white bulls. Because squeeze out the seeds and insert of this, mistletoe was considered them in a notch cut in the tree’s to be a pagan plant and banned bark. After a couple of months from churches. small plants emerge, but many of these seem to die within a Mistletoe was associated with year. Survivors grow rapidly and Christmas since the mid-17th live for many years. However, century. By the 19th century this mistletoe produces female and association was well established, male flowers on different plants, and people who had mistletoe- and although I’ve left a trail of bearing trees on their land were mistletoe plants behind me as I’ve bothered by people who raided The situation is complicated by moved around, I haven’t yet man- them.
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