MISTLETOE HOSTS
Sut,—Mistletoe grows plentifully on many trees in a small area immediately to the south of Magdalen Bridge, Oxford, and the lime just outside Nicholas Stone's gateway into the Botanic Gardens must be known to many of the thousands passing over the bridge. The whole crown of this tree is a mass of mistletoe, and it is quite impossible to distinguish. the bunches, but there are certainly more than thirty. Three other limes on the traffic island of "The Plain" also carry bunches. All these limes are the common kind, but the magnificent large-leaved lime at the south-east end of the bridge in our garden of Magdalen College School is quite free. An aged robinia, or locust tree, next to it carries seven bunches and as this seems to be a favourite host I am wondering whether the "acacias near to Ledbury " mentioned by Sir William Beach Thomas were really robinias, which are often called "false acacias." Mistletoe is common on the hawthorns edging our school playing field, but is found only on the largest of the white willows. A young black Italian poplar planted near the pavilion has just become affected. Trees apparently immune from, the local plague are sycamore, horse chestnut, alder, birch, beech, hazel, lombardy poplar and laburnum.—Yours
faithfully, A. S. T. FISHER. Magdalen College School, Oxford.
Previous page
