The secret weapon of the Gauls?back

 

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Take a look at the trees around you and you will spot numerous bushy growths among their branches. Even in winter their leaves are green. Although unfamiliar in its natural form, this is a plant you know quite well: it's mistletoe. The venerable druid Getafix used to climb around in oak trees to find this plant. Although we don't know if it was an ingredient of his magic potion, mistletoe has long been credited with magical properties. If you are British or American, the custom of using mistletoe as a Christmas decoration under which people are expected to kiss will be familiar to you. On a more sober note, some substances present in mistletoe are used in cancer therapy. Like all green plants, these evergreens survive by photosynthesis: with the help of sunlight they transform water and carbon dioxide into sugar. But mistletoe is not very good at photosynthesis, so it needs a host plant from which to absorb water and nutrients. This poses no danger for the tree, however: it would take masses of mistletoe to seriously harm a host tree. Have you noticed which trees mistletoe likes best? Although birds spread mistletoe seeds on all types of tree, the mistletoe itself seems to be rather picky. It is mostly found on poplars, probably because their wood is so soft. This makes it easy for the mistletoe to reach the host's conductive tissue and take a swill of poplar juice. Perhaps that is why Getafix preferred mistletoe from oak trees: a plant able to penetrate the hard wood of an oak would have to be incredibly strong! If you are tempted to emulate the white-bearded Gaul, however, please remember that mistletoe is a protected species and must not be plucked.

Photo: Joschka Meiburgback