Mistletoe is a perennial flowering plant that is parasitic on woody trees and shrubs when it is above ground. The plant has specialized roots that can penetrate the host plant. From the host plant is gets it water and nutrients.  Mistletoe has thick green evergreen leaves and white berries. Each berry contains a sticky seed that attaches to birds and mammals and is taken to a new growing site. The ripe white berries of dwarf mistletoe, native to the western United States and Canada, can explode, ejecting seeds and scattering them as far as 50 feet. As mistletoe matures, they grow thicker and become rounded masses of branches and stems which look like baskets, sometimes referred to as “witches’ brooms”. They can reach up to 5 feet wide and weigh up to 50 pounds. There are more than 100 species that grow around the world. Mistletoe’s common name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words for ‘dung’ (mistel) and ‘twig’ (tan) because of the ancient belief that mistletoe was propagated from bird droppings because plants would often appear on a branch or twig where birds had left droppings. In the sixteenth century, botanists found that mistletoe was spread by seeds that came from the digestive tract of birds after they ate berries. Mistletoe grows on willow, apple, and oak trees. It is said the tradition of hanging mistletoe in the home goes back to the ancient Druids. It is also believed the plant has mystical powers that bring good luck to the household and ward off evil spirits. The custom of kissing under mistletoe started in England and represents peace and romance. The plant has also been used as an herbal medicine for hundreds of years.