Mistletoe white berries that it bears in clusters of two to six. The Eastern mistletoe of North America is similar, but has shorter, broader leaves and longer clusters of 10 or more berries. The word 'mistletoe' derives from the older form 'mistle' adding the Old English word "tān" (twig). 'Mistle' is common Germanic (Old High German "mistil", Middle High German "mistel", Old English "mistel", Old Norse "mistil"). Further etymology is uncertain, but may be related to the Germanic base for 'mash'. Parasitism has evolved at least 12 times among the vascular plants . Molecular data show the mistletoe habit has evolved
Mistletoe 'Merry Christmas Everyone' by Shakin' Stevens (1991), 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' written and performed by Mariah Carey (1994) and 'Mistletoe' by Justin Bieber (2011). In the popular roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons, druids use mistletoe as the default focus item for casting spells. Mistletoe Mistletoe is the English common name for most obligate hemiparasitic plants in the order Santalales. They are attached to their host tree or shrub by a structure called the haustorium, through which they extract water and nutrients from the host plant. Their parasitic lifestyle have led to some dramatic changes in their metabolism.