Mistletoe-a parasite?! The beautiful holiday spirit of romantic kisses-a parasite?! I couldn't believe it when my wife Julie pointed out an ugly tangle in a treetop. I'd assumed it was a crow's nest. Somehow, my mental model (completely based on a total lack of real information), was of a robust, yet beautiful climbing ivy full of European romance and charm. Of course, Julie is right. So I thought I'd like to know more about it and plant parasitism, in general. What we think of as mistletoe from myth and fable, is European Mistletoe or Viscum album . In fact the "Golden Bough" of Greek Myth was probably Viscum. It is a member of the Santalales order and specifically the family Loranthaceae . Originally, all mistletoes were contained in the family Loranthaceae , but they have now been expanded into three additional families in the same order ( Misodendraceae, Eremolepidaceae, Santalaceae ). The largest family of mistletoe, Loranthaceae ¸ contains over 900 spec