A common mistletoe, Viscum album, on a small tree of Swedish Whitebeam, Sorbus intermedia. The picture was taken in Norfolk, UK in February. The picture shows the evergeen foliage of the mistletoe (green), with ripening berries (off-white small spheres) and developing flowers (small yellow structures picture centre, and throughout). Mistletoe is a parasite; at the point of attachment it penetrates the host tissue and withdraws water and nutrients, while retaining its own ability to photosynthesise. Its seeds are dispersed by birds. Some species eat the berries and spread the seeds in their droppings; others wipe the sticky seed from their beak without ingesting it. Common hosts for mistletoe include apple trees (Malus), lime (Tilia) and hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna).