Viscum album subsp. album

Viscum album L., Sp. Pl. 2: 1023. 1753 (Syn: Stelin album (L.) Bub.; Viscum album f. lutescens (Makino) Kitag.; Viscum album var. lutescens Makino; Viscum album f. rubroaurantiacum (Makino) Kitag.; Viscum album var. rubroaurantiacum Makino; Viscum dichotomum Gilib.; Viscum polycoccon Houtt.; Viscum stellatum Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don) as per Catalogue of Life as on 8.7.20);

Albania, Austria, Belgium, Baleares, England, Bulgaria, Corsica, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Switzerland, Netherlands, Spain, Hungary, Italy, Serbia & Kosovo, Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia & Hercegovina, Portugal, Malta, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sicily, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, C-European Russia, Crimea, Belarus, Ukraine, Algeria, Northern Caucasus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia [Caucasus], Tibet, China (Yunnan), Turkey (Inner Anatolia, N-Anatolia, NE-Anatolia, NW-Anatolia: Bithynia, S-Anatolia, SSW-Anatolia, W-Anatolia, WN-Anatolia), European Turkey, Iran (EC-Iran, E-Iran, N-Iran, Iranian Aserbaijan, W-Iran), Lebanon (Antilebanon), Pakistan (Kurram, Chitral, Swat, Murree, Hazara), India (Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland), Myanmar [Burma] (Mon), Nepal, Vietnam, USA (I) (California (I)) as per Catalogue of Life as on 8.7.20);

European Mistletoe or Common Mistletoe; हडचुर Hadchur (Ref. Floraof Nepal); Bird Lime, Birdlime Mistletoe, Mystyldene, Lignum Crucis, All-heal (Ref. Sacred Earth);

As per efi thread:

In Viscum album the leaf is strap-shaped where as in this species (V.monoicum) of Viscum the leaf is some what falcate, coriaceous, attenuated at the base to a short petiole (these characters are found in V.monoicum).

As per efi thread:
Here are the differentiating features:
Viscum album V. articulatum (inc. var. dichotomum)
Plants dioicious, branching apical Plants monecious, becoming pendulous
Stems terete stems flattened, 3-ridged
Internodes 3-7 cm long internodes 1.5-2.5 cm long
Leaves usually obovate, 3-5 cm long leaves reduced yo scarious scales
Inflorescence terminal, 3-5 flowered spikes, inflorescence axillary, 1-3 together, 3-flowered
Male 3-fld, female 3-5-fld central flower female, lateral male
Berry greenish-white, globose, ca 6 mm Berry greenish-white, globose 3-4 mm
.

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Gori Valley Tour: Viscum album from Kosani:
This parasite was frequent in the valley, near Almora… (looks like this is fond of Pyrus species).. Viscum album.. the Mistletoe… I am unlucky this time also not to find the flowers…

yes. once upon a time folks thought it to have anti-cancer properties, esp in switzerland
do not know if it caught on
worth a try in vitro, if some grad student wants summer project, in the Indian context

Last year we had seen it from a distance.

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Viscum album AT MAR 2017/04 : 6 posts by 3 authors. Attachments (3)

Viscum album
Shimla
February 2017
Stem parasite

Seen the beautiful photograph of this plant by … in
fruiting stage.
So, thought of sharing the photographs of flowers.

Nice shots. ‘Mistletoe’ (Viscum album) was transferred from the Loranthaceae family to Santalaceae. In ‘Flora of the British Isles’ (1962) the species was recorded from Southern Scandinavia southwards to N.Africa and east to Central Asia and Japan. Given such a widespread distribution, I wonder if this taxon has been sub-divided since then?

It is quite common on a variety of deciduous tree species near where I live. I observe quite a number of examples at this time of year (i.e. when there are no leaves on the trees) during bus journeys from my village to the train station I use to travel around the country.

I shall post some images from the UK and comment on its distribution in the Himalaya and that of Viscum cruciatum (recorded from lower elevations), on another occasion.

It was a sacred plant of the Druids during pre-Christian times, who cut it with a golden sickle. Associated with fertility, from which developed the British custom of kissing under it.

It was a local, rather rare plant in Buckinghamshire, UK a century ago but is certainly not anymore (at least locally).