Special features of mistletoe as a flowering plant

We are investigating the morphology and development of the white-berried mistletoe (Viscum album L.) using scientific and goetheanistic methods. The lack of a root, the inhibited development of shoots, its spherical shape and the development in the course of the year embody exceptions to general principles in plant growth.


In addition to the absence of a root, the mistletoe's limited energy metabolism forms a central basis for its imprinting by the tree. The botanical peculiarities also provide a basis for understanding the pharmacology and pharmaceutical processing of mistletoe.

  • Haustorium of mistletoe (from J. Sachs, 1883)
  • 3-year-old mistletoe of fir (Viscum album subsp. abietis)
  • Summer mistletoe with young branches
  • Winter mistletoe with flower buds
  • Ripe berries of mistletoe
  • Typical spheric shape of Viscum album

Pollinators and propagators of mistletoe

Basic botanical research supports the cultivation of mistletoe on particularly demanding mother trees. This includes studies on pollination by insects and dispersal by birds as well as on mistletoe's natural antagonists.
  • Mistle trush (Turdus viscivorus)
  • Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)
  • Ladybird as visitor of mistletoe flower
  • Honey bees collect pollen grains of mistletoe

Soil requirements of mistletoe

Systematic studies on the geographical occurrence of mistletoe, especially in France, extend the basic botanical research, as do specific studies on the demands of oak mistletoe on the soil conditions at the respective sites and the qualitative characteristics to be derived from them.