Mistletoe is lifelong passion of UVic biologist
There’s much, much more to mistletoe
than the famous Christmas kissing tradition, says UVic’s Dr. Job Kuijt.
He should know. The adjunct professor of biology has spent the last half century studying the legendary plant and is considered the world expert on mistletoes of North, South and Central America. Some of his friends call him the “Mistletoe Man.” “I’m just enchanted by them,” he admits. “They’re unusually successful and sophisticated plants.”
There are at least 2,000 species of mistletoe around the world. The species most people are familiar with is the European mistletoe, famous for its white berries and green foliage in winter. Other than that, it looks pretty ordinary. But don’t be fooled. Like all mistletoes it harbours a dark little secret—it’s a parasite, growing on the branches of host trees and sending shoots into the bark to steal nutrients.
“A parasite might sound scary,” says Kuijt. “But to biologists, a parasite is a very special thing. It’s inherently fascinating.”
Over the course of his career, Kuijt has focused on mistletoe biodiversity in the Americas, as well as microscopic investigations into how the parasite and host interlock. He’s published about 150 scientific papers and a general text on parasitic plants, and has discovered and described about 250 new mistletoe species.
Each time Christmas rolls around, Kuijt braces himself for the inevitable jokes about mistletoe and kissing. The origin of the tradition is unknown, although it seems to be Anglo-Saxon and not much older than 200 years. Mistletoe was also venerated by ancient peoples as a symbol of everlasting life, a protectant, a source of medicinal powers, and even an aphrodisiac.
The sprigs sold in B.C. flower stores at Christmas-time are from a southeastern U.S. variety. The province’s three native species are all dwarf mistletoes that most of us would never notice. “They’re not leafy, they have tiny leaf scales and they look like lichen,” says Kuijt. They’re also serious forest pests, attacking mainly pine and hemlock.
European mistletoe was actually introduced into two locations in North America. One was in California, where it’s now a pest. The second was in Victoria around 1945 when a World War II veteran likely returned with some berries.
“One patch was destroyed by a housing development several years ago,” says Kuijt. “The other still exists on some old apple trees, but for reasons we can’t explain, hasn’t spread and isn’t likely to.” He won’t disclose the location, to protect the mistletoe from sample-seekers.
He should know. The adjunct professor of biology has spent the last half century studying the legendary plant and is considered the world expert on mistletoes of North, South and Central America. Some of his friends call him the “Mistletoe Man.” “I’m just enchanted by them,” he admits. “They’re unusually successful and sophisticated plants.”
There are at least 2,000 species of mistletoe around the world. The species most people are familiar with is the European mistletoe, famous for its white berries and green foliage in winter. Other than that, it looks pretty ordinary. But don’t be fooled. Like all mistletoes it harbours a dark little secret—it’s a parasite, growing on the branches of host trees and sending shoots into the bark to steal nutrients.
“A parasite might sound scary,” says Kuijt. “But to biologists, a parasite is a very special thing. It’s inherently fascinating.”
Over the course of his career, Kuijt has focused on mistletoe biodiversity in the Americas, as well as microscopic investigations into how the parasite and host interlock. He’s published about 150 scientific papers and a general text on parasitic plants, and has discovered and described about 250 new mistletoe species.
Each time Christmas rolls around, Kuijt braces himself for the inevitable jokes about mistletoe and kissing. The origin of the tradition is unknown, although it seems to be Anglo-Saxon and not much older than 200 years. Mistletoe was also venerated by ancient peoples as a symbol of everlasting life, a protectant, a source of medicinal powers, and even an aphrodisiac.
The sprigs sold in B.C. flower stores at Christmas-time are from a southeastern U.S. variety. The province’s three native species are all dwarf mistletoes that most of us would never notice. “They’re not leafy, they have tiny leaf scales and they look like lichen,” says Kuijt. They’re also serious forest pests, attacking mainly pine and hemlock.
European mistletoe was actually introduced into two locations in North America. One was in California, where it’s now a pest. The second was in Victoria around 1945 when a World War II veteran likely returned with some berries.
“One patch was destroyed by a housing development several years ago,” says Kuijt. “The other still exists on some old apple trees, but for reasons we can’t explain, hasn’t spread and isn’t likely to.” He won’t disclose the location, to protect the mistletoe from sample-seekers.
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