For this year at least, mistletoe is safe as a mild wet winter has ensured a profusion of plants.
But the future is in doubt. England's apple orchards, mistletoe's favoured habitat, have declined by 57 per cent in the past 50 years.
Jonathan Briggs, an ecologist, said the way the plant is cut for sale is also a threat.
Harvesters cut only the female plant, which has berries, leaving the male plant that will continue to grow and ultimately poison the tree.
"The Christmas market was previously a way for farmers to make a bit of money from something they did anyway,'' he said. "These days, only the stuff with berries is cut and everything else is left.''
Without action now, Mr Briggs said mistletoe may not survive.
"There's no crisis yet,'' he said. "But there might be one in 25 years if people don't manage mistletoe properly. It's a lost knowledge we need to regain.''
The evergreen with white berries is hung in doorways over the festive season. As a symbol of peace – and fertility – it is the custom to kiss beneath the decoration.
According to tradition, when the last mistletoe berry is gone there should be no more kissing.
A link to the original article | feliciaday OMG. Ok, I won't link anything else today, I promise. But this...... http://tinyurl.com/5sp2rf is the weirdest thing I've seen in a while. | |
 | Ghoulash How about "Marvel Muppets"? You could have Cookie America, the Letter-X-Men, Iron Monster, Fantastic 1-2-3-4, Big Spider and Hulkleupagus. | |
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 | jfalconer @msaleem As sick as that is, I think I'm going to be laughing for at least half an hour. | |
 | msaleem Really surprised me that Hancock is homophobic. I mean, especially after a name like that, sheesh. Get your act together man... | |
 | scHarvey sun burned, sore muscles, exhausted brain... yep, it was a good weekend at #8035 | |
 | daxazo The church smells weird today. | |
 | OlderMusicGeek @sushiday - god, you're torturing me with that banana bread description! | |
![tweelings [en]](http://s3.amazonaws.com/twitter_production/profile_images/53575726/Earth__Clouds__normal.gif) | tweelings_en HATE> I hate it when people just fall off the face of the planet. http://tinyurl.com/65xyb5 | |
 | sushiday @OlderMusicGeek Oh yes, it's wonderful. An ooey gooey mess of chocolatey banana deliciousness! Mmmmmm... banana bread... | |
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 | ClarkKentPlanet I found this site, http://www.zod2008.com/. I don't think it's very funny! That's just sick! | |
| | OlderMusicGeek @ilovealgebra - are you excited about the trees? or do you have a phobia of trees? |
