Green Thumb

[JMcQ]

Anyone know what this plant is that's hanging from my tree?

 

[adui]

Looks like Mistletoe from the picture. I could be wrong, bu that's how the stuff grows. When I was a kid back home on the farm we used to use a .22 rifle to shoot that stuff down for Christmas.

 

[JMcQ]

Is it bad for the tree?

 

[boston]

If you can get a close-up of one of the leaves on that plant I will ask my son who is a plant scientist and he might have some thoughts for you.

 

[scloyd]

There is an app that I have used in the past. "PlantSnap"....just take a picture of a leaf or flower with your phone and it will identify the plant and give you other details about it.

 

[JMcQ]

More of a close up. I downloaded a plant id app and it also says mistletoe.

 

[mso489]

Wanted to take botany as an undergrad, but the classes were full so I took vertebrae physiology with a bunch of med students, and some geology courses which I really enjoyed. But I have always missed botany courses. PlantSnap sounds intriguing. Does the mistletoe have a stem tapping into the soil, or is it entirely linked into the moisture and nutrients of the host tree? Never knowing saw it growing, really interesting.

 

[corncobguy]

Misltetoe for sure. It's not going to hurt anything, just don't eat it.

 

[JMcQ]

Wanted to take botany as an undergrad, but the classes were full so I took vertebrae physiology with a bunch of med students, and some geology courses which I really enjoyed. But I have always missed botany courses. PlantSnap sounds intriguing. Does the mistletoe have a stem tapping into the soil, or is it entirely linked into the moisture and nutrients of the host tree? Never knowing saw it growing, really interesting.

It's definitely tapped directly into the tree. I don't want it to hurt my tree and my wife is worried about it poisoning our dogs. I think I'll cut it down as soon as I can borrow a ladder that's tall enough.

 

[boston]

My plant scientist son said he suspects it's mistletoe, as corncobguy said. However, my son warns that it is a parasitic plant and it can harm your tree by pulling out nutrients and water. So - if you want to protect your tree, best get rid of the mistletoe.