Mistletoe is strongly associated with Christmas, but did you know Mistletoe grows in Rushcliffe?

In Britain it grows mainly in the SW Midlands of England and most of the seasonal mistletoe harvest comes from traditional apple orchards – apple being mistletoe’s favourite host tree.  Outside this area (and also within it) mistletoe’s other primary habitat is in gardens where it is usually planted on fruit, particularly apple trees. It also grows on many other trees including pear, lime, silver-birch even, however there is some evidence that it is a species specialist and so its seeds germinate more readily on the same species as the parent plant. It is a parasitic plant and is known as a hemiparasite as it still uses photosynthesis to create energy.

Mistletoe supports a wide range of wildlife, some of which can be rare and adds value to the biodiversity of an area. Winter is a particularly good time to spot it in the leafless trees and it has a characteristic appearance as illustrated by the photo of MISTLETOE IN WEST BRIDGFORD. WE know that Mistletoe grows in West Bridgford and Radcliffe on Trent, but the Rushcliffe Nature Conservation Strategy Implementation Group wants to find out how common it is in those areas and if it grows elsewhere in Rushcliffe. So if you suspect that Mistletoe is growing in a local tree, please let RNCSIG know by recording the location and tree type on www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/R_mistletoe.