Mistletoe

Mistletoe is the word of the day today. It was featured in my other word of the day. Mistletoe is a parasitic plant. Mist in German means 'dung' and tang means 'branch'. The plant used to be thought of just as mere parasite which sometimes even kills the very host tree, however recent research has shown that it supports lots of birds which make nest on it. The relation with dung is because at the early stage the mistletoe grows out of birds dropping on tree. It provides and nourishes many birds. Its poisonous and cannot be used by human as a fruit but it has medicinal properties.
Mistletoes are also used for Christmas decoration and in Nordic countries on Christmas eve if opposite sex meet they have to kiss.