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Article: THE HISTORY OF MISTLETOE: HERE'S A PRELUDE TO THAT KISS.(L.A. Life)
- Article from:
- Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)
- Article date:
- December 16, 2000
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Daily News. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Joshua Siskin
Whether your interest is parasitic plants, ethnobotany or herbal medicine, the study and culture of mistletoe can quickly become intriguing diversions. There are more than 200 genera of mistletoe, spread over six continents.
You will find lush mistletoes with flamboyant scarlet flowers growing in the tropics, to be contrasted with unassuming dwarf mistletoes that make themselves at home in Northern conifer forests. And then there are the mistletoes that grow literally in our own Los Angeles back yards.
Mistletoe is a parasitic plant. This means that its entire life force is extracted from another botanical species. ...