Birds widely distribute the seeds after eating the berries. The females produce the fruits, called berries, which are generally white, but can be pink or reddish depending on the species. Mistletoes are what botanists call dioecious, meaning these plants have separate male and female versions. These invading structures can live for many years inside a tree even if the mistletoe plant itself is removed. But American mistletoe also sucks water and other nutrients out of its host plant by sending rootlike structures called haustoria into the vascular tissue just under the bark of branches and twigs. It has green leaves and is capable of photosynthesis and so produces much of its own food. The American mistletoe, the one used at Christmas in the U.S., is in the genus Phoradendron, which means “ thief of the tree” in Greek. Mistletoe is the Oklahoma Floral Emblem with the Indian Blanket being the state wildflower, and the state flower is the Oklahoma tea rose. Sixteen species of the leafless dwarf mistletoe infect only trees in the pine family and are mostly found along the West Coast. Twelve species of the American mistletoe can be found distributed largely across the southern half of the U.S., mostly affecting deciduous trees in the East as well as some evergreens in the West. Just two types are native to North America. Rather than being rooted in the ground, they live on the branches of other trees and shrubs. They’re all parasitic or semiparasitic, meaning they can survive only on a host plant. There are some 1,300 species of this evergreen plant worldwide. But, botanically speaking, that’s what mistletoe is. Bruce Anderson, administrator of the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources.Įxperts urge everyone to be careful, by making sure to wash your vegetables and hands thoroughly, cover sandboxes, and feed house cats commercial food.( The Conversation) – A parasitic plant with potentially poisonous berries might not sound like something that would boost your Christmas decorations to the next level. “That’s a gross understatement in my mind of the actual illness and deaths that are associated with these.” Explained Dr. Experts say runoff contaminated with cat feces can spill into the ocean, where the parasite can spread to marine life. It’s spread by a parasite exiting through a cat’s feces.Įxperts say toxoplasma can also infect marine animals, and has been linked to the deaths of at least eight monk seals. The parasite has also been linked to the extinction of Hawaiian crows. “We’ve also seen this parasite killing Hawaiian birds, Hawaiian ducks, red footed boobies, and Hawaiian geese.” Said Work. The parasite can also cause inflammation of the retina in humans. It can lead to hydrocephaly, which leads to a swollen skull in babies. Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by a parasite called toxoplasma gondii. You can have fetal abnormalities.” Said Thierry Work, with U.S. “If a human female is infected with a parasite, she gets infected at certain stages in pregnancy. Toxoplasmosis is a disease that’s killing off native animals and marine life, and some experts believe cats may be to blame.Įxperts at a public forum held at the University of Hawaii Saturday explained the disease can also be dangerous to humans, especially expectant mothers. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated.