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Acknowledgements

"…Mistletoe held in the beaks of the phoenix is a medieval sign of medicinal remedies…" (From a description of the Armorial Bearings of the London Ambulance Service)

1.    Aims

To ensure the conservation, enhancement and greater awareness of London’s mistletoe for current and future generations.
To ensure that this cultural emblem is more widely recognised as a London species.

2.    Introduction

Mistletoe (Viscum album) was included in the London Biodiversity Audit on the basis of its rarity, cultural value and ease of monitoring. Though London is outside its stronghold areas in the south-west midlands, the species has many cultural links to the capital. It may never have been very common here but it has a long history in herbal medicine and seasonal traditions.

Mistletoe is a parasitic plant of deciduous trees that produces milk-white berries. Its London sites are mostly in open landscape habitats, such as trees in parks, gardens and streets.

3.    Current Status

Mistletoe’s status in London today is reasonably well-known, though many sightings need further study and confirmation. The national mistletoe survey run by Plantlife and the Botanical Society of the British Isles (BSBI) in the 1990s provided a lot of new data (Briggs 1995 & 1999).

The species is scarce in the Greater London area. A large number of boroughs have good or reasonably reliable records of the plant, but in most there are only a handful of records – sometimes just one plant per borough. The full list includes Barnet, Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Harrow, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Haringey, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kingston, Lambeth, Merton, Redbridge, Richmond, Sutton, Wandsworth and Westminster. The most central records are in Lambeth (a single plant on a maple tree) and in Westminster (a single plant on an ornamental Malus tree).

Most mistletoe in London today grows in man-made habitats – little suitable natural habitat occurs – and the vast majority of London records are from trees in parks and gardens. Elsewhere in the country the plant also grows on trees in orchards, hedgerows, churchyards, cemeteries and linear features such as watersides and roadsides. London’s principle stronghold seems to be in the Bushy Park and Hampton Court areas of Richmond.

The main host trees for mistletoe in urban areas are cultivated apples, hybrid Limes, hawthorn, hybrid poplars, maples, willows and false acacia. Many other tree species can also be hosts. The parasitic mistletoe is, in turn, host to four species of specialist mistletoe-dependant insects. The current status of these insects in London is unknown.

There appears to be potential for more mistletoe in London – there are many suitable host trees in many suitable habitats such as parks, gardens, small estates, nature reserves and roadsides. Some of the populations in parks and estates may be relics of populations established by herbalists.

Studies of mistletoe in other cities may help our understanding of the plant in London. The best British city for mistletoe, based on the findings of the national survey, is probably Cheltenham. There has been recent research in mainland Europe.

4.    Specific Factors Affecting the Species

4.1    Management practice

Existing forestry and tree management practice in boroughs, parks authorities etc may be unsympathetic – for example, being a tree parasite, the species is sometimes pruned out.

There is neglect of some mistletoe colonies and possibly a loss of management techniques. For example, traditional ‘sustainable’ harvesting, which controlled infestations whilst allowing their survival, may be no longer practised.

4.2    Theft

Mistletoe ‘rustling’ may be on the increase because of its seasonal value.

4.3    Omission from habitat creation schemes

Mistletoe may be omitted from otherwise suitable habitat creation schemes – for example community orchard schemes

5.    Current Action

5.1 Legal status

Mistletoe receives the same protection as all other wild plants in the UK through the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981, as amended). Therefore, it may not be uprooted (which would include pulling down whole plants) without the permission of the landowner. The felling of host trees may be prevented by Tree Preservation Orders.

5.2 Mechanisms targeting the species

These current actions are ongoing. They need to be supported and continued in addition to the new action listed under Section 7.

5.2.1 Survey

The national mistletoe survey in the 1990s (Briggs 1995 & 1999) raised the plant’s profile significantly and gave rise to much public interest. This survey, though complete, still continues informally. It is largely concerned with data gathering.

5.2.2 Indirect habitat management

Various campaigns promoting conservation of traditional orchards (eg Common Ground’s projects) or conservation of parkland and veteran trees may be indirectly helping mistletoe.

6.    Objectives, Actions and Targets

Most of these actions are specific to this species. However, there are other, broader actions that apply generically to a number of habitats and species. These are located in a separate ‘Generic Action’ section which should be read in conjunction with this document. There are generic actions for Site Management, Habitat Protection, Species Protection, Ecological Monitoring, Biological Records, Communications and Funding.

Please note that the partners identified in the tables are those that have been involved in the process of forming the plan. It is not an exclusive list and new partners are both welcomed and needed. The leads identified are responsible for co-ordinating the actions – but are not necessarily implementers.

Objective 1 Collate and maintain data on mistletoe in London

Target: Complete database covering all existing data, plus a mechanism for recording new data, by the end of 2001

 

Action

Target Date

Lead

Other Partners

Determine past and present distribution in London – collating all existing data, validating as needed and including in local databases

2001

LWT

LNHS, BSBI

Establish monitoring system for London populations

2001

LNHS

BRP, BSBI, LNHS, LWT, RP

Objective 2 To prevent loss of mistletoe plants and populations in London

Target : No future loss of mistletoe populations in London

 

Action

Target Date

Lead

Other Partners

Consider applying TPOs to unprotected trees

Ongoing

LTOA

GLA

Provide landowners with information about mistletoe conservation and management

2001

GLA

LA, RP, LWT, CG

Review other possible protection measures and policies

2002

GLA

EN

Objective 3 To increase mistletoe populations in London

Target: 20 new or restored populations by 2005

 

Action

Target Date

Lead

Other Partners

Select new sites for establishing mistletoe populations and identify those sites to make up ‘first round’

2001

LWT

GLA, LA, LNHS, RP, WWT, CG, RBG

Investigate practicality of establishing ‘berry exchange’ system to encourage establishment of new populations

2002

LWT

GLA, LA, RP, CG

Establish mistletoe at first round of sites identified

2005

LWT

GLA, LA, LNHS, RP, TFL, WWT, CG, Landowners

Objective 4 To increase knowledge and understanding of mistletoe and its ecology in London

Target: Several studies completed and ready for promotion by 2003

 

Action

Target Date

Lead

Other Partners

Review knowledge of mistletoe in other UK and European cities

2001

National survey co-ordinator

 

Establish the status of mistletoe-associated species in London – obligate insects and berry-eating birds

2003

LNHS

 

Promote results of these and other studies to increase awareness of mistletoe

2003

GLA

CG

Relevant Action Plans

London Plans

Woodland; Private Gardens, Wasteland; Open Landscapes with Ancient/Old Trees; Ponds, Lakes and Reservoirs; Churchyards and Cemeteries; Railway Linesides; Farmland; Parks; Amenity Grasslands and City Squares; Hedgerows.

Black Poplar.

National Plans

None.

Key References

Briggs, J (1995). Mistletoe - distribution, biology and the National Survey. British Wildlife 7(2), 75-82.

Briggs, J (1999). Kissing Goodbye to Mistletoe? The results of a national survey aimed at discovering whether mistletoe in Britain is in decline. Published by Plantlife and BSBI.

Abbreviations

BRP – Biological Recording Project
BSBI – Botanical Society of the British Isles
CG – Common Ground
GLA – Greater London Authority
LTOA – London Tree Officers Association

LNHS – London Natural History Society
LWT – London Wildlife Trust
RP – Royal Parks
TFL – Trees for London
UDP – Unitary Development Plan
WWT – Wildfowl & wetlands Trust

Contact

The contact for this species in the present absence of a Lead is Jonathan Briggs.

Dr Jonathan Briggs
National Mistletoe Survey Co-ordinator
46 Arrowsmith Drive
Stonehouse

email [email protected]

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