What are these spherical patches of leaves?

9 comments

1. Mistletoe infestation.

   Mistletoe is technically a parasitic plant species that grows on other trees.

2. It’s not leaves, it’s mistletoe. Mistletoe is a parasite, a plant that takes root in tree branches and basically lives on the nutrients from the tree, like a leech sucking your blood.

   There’s old Norse myth about mistletoe. The story goes that all the other plants had promised never to hurt the god Baldur, but mistletoe was much younger than them and so hadn’t been around when the arrangement was made. So the trickster god Loki tricked the blind god Hother into shooting an arrow made of mistletoe to kill Baldur. After that, the goddess of love Frigg made mistletoe swear to never hurt anyone again, and for that reason mistletoe is associated with love. At Christmas, it’s traditional in some countries to kiss under a sprig of mistletoe.

3. [Mistletoe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viscum). It’s not the trees themselves, but rather they’re hosting parasites (which doesn’t mean it’s a “sickness” or anything, it’s just how mistletoe lives).

4. Remember to only cut it with a [golden sickle](http://mag.shock2.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Asterix_02_Bild_001.jpg), or it will loose its magical properties…

5. Also very important for a certain potion. As my fellow brother Miraculix mentioned.

6. They might be witches’ broom as well, a closerimage would be better for identification.

7. Mistletoe. Apparently it is a parasite, but fairly harmless to the tree itself.

8. Whaaaat?? I always thought these are birds nest omg

9. Has anyone already mentioned the word mistletoe?