The etymology of mistletoe — a plant with small, oval evergreen leaves and waxy white berries — may strike some as repugnant.

The traditional carol “The Holly and the Ivy” mentions two of the evergreen plants associated with the holidays. Ivy, holly ...

In Old Norse mythology, Baldr, the son of the god Odin and the goddess Frigg, was slain with a mistletoe spear. Some ...

During the holidays, mistletoe is famous for helping couples sneak a smooch under a strategically hung sprig. But long before Christ was born, Druids, Greeks and other ancients knew the plant as a ...

The tradition of kissing somebody under the mistletoe plant has been around for quite some time. But why? And what is a mistletoe plant anyway? Let’s find out! Mistletoe has been associated with life, ...

New species of the plants are still being discovered, and their parasitic biology is being probed for potential cancer ...

Mistletoe infestation was not linked to negative health outcomes for the trees the festive favorite was parasitizing.

The custom of kissing under mistletoe, which dates to the 18th century, was seen as a way to spread love during the Christmas ...

The evergreen mistletoe plant is now a common sight around Cambridge, characterised by green spherical clusters among the ...

Mistletoe is a richly symbolic winter plant with an unusual life cycle. With more than half of England's traditional orchards ...

I always look forward to the holidays and the bunches of mistletoe festooned above key passageways throughout the season. But the ancient Germans probably didn’t have kissing in mind when they named ...

So why has this tradition lasted? Probably because it hits the perfect holiday sweet spot: a little awkward, a little ...