Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe

Decorating our homes with greenery is a great way to celebrate the Christmas season and winter solstice. Wreaths of fir and cedar boughs adorn front doors, and sprigs of holly, ivy and mistletoe create a festive atmosphere. It is interesting to learn more about these traditional plants, which represent the holidays.

English holly (Ilex aquifolium) has shiny green, prickly leaves and clusters of bright red berries. Native to Europe, it was introduced to North America as a garden ornamental.
Holly grows as a shrub or small tree, and reaches a maximum height of 17 metres. Plants are either male or female, and the female produces the scarlet berries. Holly bark is smooth and grey, and the even-grained wood is white and hard.

Holly likes mild winters and thrives in the Pacific Northwest, where it has escaped from urban gardens and spread into woodlands and parks, becoming an invasive plant. English holly displaces native plants, and has a negative impact on the ecology of many areas. Efforts to remove it are ongoing.

Many cultures have long regarded holly as a plant with unusual mystical properties. In ancient Britain, the Druids considered holly sacred. According to legend, two twin brothers, the Oak King and Holly King were pitted against one another. In summer, the Oak King won out, but in the winter, the Holly King reigned supreme, due to the fact that holly retained its green leaves through the winter.

In ancient Rome, holly was gathered to celebrate winter solstice festivities, known as Saturnalia, which honoured the god Saturn. Holly protected against witchcraft and lightning strikes, and was exchanged as an act of friendship. In Europe, holly was used to ward off evil. Other pagan customs included bringing a sprig of holly into the home so that tiny elves and fairies had a place to live during the cold winter months.

Holly is also an important Christian symbol. The red berries symbolize Christ’s blood, and the spiny leaves represent His crown of thorns. It is thought that holly wood was used to construct Christ’s cross.

Mistletoe is a leafy green plant with white berries, and traditionally a person was kissed when they passed beneath a sprig hung from a ceiling or entranceway. Though most people are familiar with this kissing custom, which dates back to 16th century England, mistletoe is seldom used in homes today.

There are two types of mistletoe, leafy mistletoe and dwarf mistletoe. The leafy ones, such as the European mistletoe (Viscum album) are the best known. Mistletoe is parasitic on trees, and puts “sinkers” into the host tree, from which it draws all of its water and nutritional needs. Leafy mistletoes depend on birds to disperse their seeds. Birds eat the sticky berries, and spread them to other trees through their droppings.

In BC, all of our native mistletoes are dwarf species. These are stubby looking yellow-green plants, with leaves that are reduced to tiny scales. Dwarf mistletoes are usually found high up on the branches and trunks of conifers, and in our area often affect western hemlock trees. They are occasionally seen when branches are blown down from winter storms. Dwarf mistletoe has an interesting seed-dispersal mechanism. When ripe, the berries explode, blasting a rice-sized seed up to 20 metres.

In many cultures, mistletoe has age-old associations with healing, endurance and fertility. The Druids worshiped mistletoe and believed it had special powers, since it was able to grow up on a tree without any contact with the ground. After oak trees dropped their leaves, mistletoe remained leafy and green, and was thought to hold the spirit of the tree.

English Ivy (Hedera helix) is an evergreen shrub that forms a groundcover beneath trees or climbs vertically up tree trunks and walls of buildings. The lobed leaves are glossy-green and leathery, and small flowers are borne on umbrella-like clusters, which later yield somewhat poisonous bluish-black berries.

English Ivy was introduced from Eurasia, and has, like holly, gone wild in southwestern BC. Ivy can tolerate both shady and sunny conditions and grows quickly, smothering other plants. The twining vines, growing to a height of 30 metres, often ring trees, and can kill them over time. Ivy is considered invasive in our area, and should not be planted in the garden. There are many attractive native alternatives, such as kinnickinnick, Oregon grape and salal.

Like holly, ivy was traditionally revered for its ability to stay green through the winter months. Due to ivy’s clinging nature, it was a symbol of fidelity, love and friendship. Though it seems inappropriate today, ivy was considered female (the female clings, like ivy, to the male). Ivy was also considered a fertility symbol, since it was quick growing and able to reproduce under adverse conditions. Europeans used ivy to protect them from evil spirits, and placed it outside of their homes and churches.

Medieval Christians observed that ivy thrived on dead trees, and thought that it symbolized immortality. Ivy was strongly associated with the Roman god of wine, Bacchus, who wore a crown of ivy on his head to represent immortality. In ancient Greece, crowns of ivy placed were on the heads of poets to inspire great thinking.
When decorating with holly, ivy and mistletoe this season, keep in mind the rich symbolic history of these plants, stemming from diverse cultures and beliefs.

Filed under Nature Writing | Tags: BC, Christmas, English holly, English ivy, Invasive Plants, Mistletoe | Comment (0)