Answer: Mistletoe is a parasite – it steals water and nutrients from trees. ... Most mistletoe seeds are spread by birds, which eat the berries and defecate on tree branches. If attached to a new host tree, the parasitic seed releases a compound called “viscin”, which dries to form a stiff biological cement.
Explanation: Mistletoe is definitely not your typical shrub—it's a parasite that attacks living trees. Technically, mistletoes—there are over 1,000 species found throughout the world to which botanists ascribe the name—are actually hemi-parasites. The mistletoe is dependent on a tiny bird called a flowerpecker to disperse its seeds. ... This makes the mistletoe a partial parasite. This means that it grows on other plants and trees and draws only the raw material from the host.