Under the Mistletoe
This Christmas, as you lean in to kiss under the mistletoe, take a minute to think about the fate of the plant that has inspired so many lip-locks.
“Many, many of them are extinct. My guess is in another 50 years, in the tropics, something like 1/3 of all mistletoes will be extinct. And that’s a lot because there are thousands of mistletoe species,” says Dr. Job Kuijt of the University of Victoria.
Unlike those of us for whom mistletoes are a fleeting, seasonal thought, Dr. Kuijt has made mistletoes his life work. For the past half-century, the scientist has worked on learning about and categorizing the plant.
His expertise is in the types of mistletoes that grow in tropical countries such as Argentina and Brazil. These mistletoes are nothing like the traditional Christmas standby.
“The traditional mistletoe is one of Europe, and there are some in North America that look like it, but both of those have tiny little flowers and white berries,” says Dr. Kuijt. “Well, you wouldn’t believe the mistletoes in the tropics. Some of them have brilliant red, long, tubular flowers with gold tips. They can be extremely attractive.”
These plants are in jeopardy in large part because they are parasitic, which means they have to live on a host in order to survive. The mistletoes grow on trees, and rapid deforestation means they have fewer and fewer places to live.
“Parasitism has an inherent sort of interest for a biologist, because parasites are clever plants or animals. They are very sophisticated in the way they make a living,” says Dr. Kuijt.
But this way of life also makes the plants very vulnerable.
“Many mistletoes are very specific on the trees that they can grow on, in that it’s the only place they can grow. And that’s dangerous biologically. If the tree goes, then the mistletoe goes down.”
Dr. Kuijt, now in his 70s, is one of only a handful of mistletoe experts in the world. He is one of the longest-running NSERC grantees, with continuous grants running 44 years.
He isn’t planning on slowing down anytime soon. With no one in his field waiting to take his place, he considers it his duty to register as many types of mistletoe as possible before they disappear, so at least a record of them exists.
“I feel that I have some obligation to go as far as I can in doing my work and publishing it.”
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