Mistletoe

Mistletoes are flowering plants that grow on other plants and draw water and minerals from their hosts. Many also photosynthesize, making them hemiparasites rather than fully dependent parasites.

Haustorium: A specialized plant structure that penetrates host tissue and connects a parasitic plant to its resources. Mistletoe forms haustoria that attach to host branches and draw water and minerals.
Parasitic plant: A plant that obtains some or all of its resources from another living plant. Mistletoes are a diverse group within the broader category of parasitic plants.
Keystone species: A species whose ecological effects are unusually large relative to its abundance. Some mistletoes provide food and habitat that support many other species.
European mistletoe: Viscum album, an evergreen hemiparasite native to Europe and parts of Asia. This species is the familiar mistletoe of European winter customs.
Xylem: Plant vascular tissue that transports water and dissolved minerals from roots to other parts of the plant. Mistletoes commonly obtain water and minerals by connecting their haustoria to host xylem.
Angiosperm: A flowering plant whose seeds develop within an ovary, usually enclosed in fruit. Mistletoes are flowering plants, despite spending much of their lives attached to woody hosts.
Christmas mistletoe: Mistletoe branches used as seasonal decoration in Christmas customs, especially the tradition of kissing beneath them. European mistletoe became a recognizable plant in Christmas folklore and decoration.
Dwarf mistletoe: A group of small parasitic plants in the genus Arceuthobium that infect conifers. Dwarf mistletoes illustrate how some members of the broader group are highly host-specialized and damaging.
Hemiparasite: An organism that parasitizes another organism for some resources while producing others independently. Many mistletoes photosynthesize but rely on hosts for water and minerals.
Santalales: An order of flowering plants that includes sandalwoods and many parasitic or hemiparasitic lineages. Most mistletoe families belong to this order, reflecting their evolutionary relationships.

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