A parasitic plant with potentially poisonous berries might not sound like something that would boost your Christmas decorations to the next level. But, botanically speaking, that’s what mistletoe is.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. White berries fill a clump of mistletoe hanging from an oak. As a young child living in Virginia, I recall kids going door to door ...

While poinsettias have an undeserved reputation for being poisonous, as you’d have to eat a few hundred poinsettia leaves to get sick, an expert says two other traditional holiday plants are ...

Consider the mistletoe, those little green sprigs of leathery leaves with white berries that people hang at Christmastime, in doorways and near the holiday punchbowl. According to tradition, you’re ...

Stealing a smooch under the mistletoe is a time-honored holiday tradition — but the word itself has an origin that invokes the exact opposite of romance. As part of NPR's "Word of the Week" series, we ...

I have never been kissed under a sprig of mistletoe. However, mistletoe is prominently featured in Christmas songs such as Frank Sinatra’s "Mistletoe and Holly," "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," and ...

Mistletoe is best known for its role in holiday festivities, as seen on this Christmas card from 1886, and it features in ancient lore of many cultures, whether Celtic druids or Scandinavian gods.

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today. Stealing a smooch under the mistletoe ...