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December 26, 2003
Nothing romantic about mistletoeGREEN THUMBS SAY LOCAL VARIETY OF THE PLANT A PARASITE
By MARK WAITE
The mention of mistletoe to tree and plant workers in Pahrump Valley, however, conjures up a totally different meaning: A scrounging plant that means death. "It's a parasite," said Don Charleboix, owner of Don's Southside Nursery. "It's very common in all the mesquite trees and very destructive. If left alone it will kill the tree." The common image of the mistletoe is a plant with bright green leaves and red flowers. "That's a totally, totally, different mistletoe," Charleboix said. He compared it to calling a car a car, whether it's a Mercedes or a Volkswagen. A handout from former University of Nevada, Reno Cooperative Extension service agent Bob Hammond states the genus and species name for the local desert mistletoe is Phoradendron californicum. Infections from the mistletoe cause swelling of tissue and the growth of many small, unattractive branches of clumps. The mistletoe's invasive roots spread under the bark, sap the nutrients and stress the overall health of the tree. After an indefinite period of time, the tree dies because of the mistletoe or the inability to endure the hardships of living in the desert. "It dies, turns to seed and goes on to the next one," Charleboix said of the pesky plant. "Parasitic indicates exactly what it is. It doesn't grow on anything else in the valley, just the mesquite trees." Like the automobile analogy, Charleboix compared the entrance of mistletoe into trees in the neighborhood, like a neighbor moving in next door with a junk car. "Once it's in an area, because it is airborne when it seeds, it just picks it up on all the other mesquite trees," Charleboix said. Plant specialists in the valley said mistletoe couldn't be treated by spraying it with pesticides. The UNR Cooperative Extension Office mentions Florel Fruit Eliminator is the only product registered in the U.S. that controls mistletoe. Jeff Miller, owner of Thornes Tree Service, estimated as many as 80 percent of the trees in Pahrump Valley have mistletoe. They are all mesquites, he said. "It's basically between a fungus and a bacteria that spreads, either in the wind or from birds, and it also spreads itself," Miller said of mistletoe. "The only way I've had any success in get ting rid of it is pruning that particular branch off." "You can take the mistletoe off but it comes right back unless you prune that branch," he said. Otherwise, he said, "It will kill that particular branch and it finally works its way in." "I've seen people try to scrape it off but it comes right back the next year and any time you do any pruning make sure you disinfect from one tree to the next, otherwise you'll carry it on your equipment." The winter is a good time to do some pruning of those diseased branches, when trees are dormant, he said. Mistletoe found in the eastern part of the nation is called phoradendron flavescens. The European type is viscum album, a green shrub with small yellow flowers and white sticky berries, which are considered poisonous. The mistletoe grows on other deciduous trees, like apple, ash, hawthorn, lime and, more rarely, oak trees. It's commonly found in Herefordshire and Worcestershire in England, according to the web site Botanical.com. Historical accounts state mistletoe was held in great reverence by the Druids, who, clad in white robes, ascended a tree and gathered it in a ceremony with a golden sickle. Druids believed it was protection from evil and hung mistletoe from ceilings. Scandinavian legend tells of the God of Peace, who was slain with an arrow made of mistletoe. After being restored to life, the mistletoe was given to the Goddess of Love for safekeeping, and it was ordained that everyone who passed under it should receive a kiss to show that the branch had become an emblem of love, not hate. An account published by the University of Saskatchewan Extension Department of Plant Sciences, states kissing under the mistletoe was first associated with the Greek festival of Saturnalia. Mistletoe was believed to have the power of bestowing fertility. |
