A common lime tree, Tilia x europea, infested with mistletoe, Viscum album. The picture shows a tree growing in Norfolk UK, in December. All the green hues visible on the tree are leaves of mistletoe; the leaves of the deciduous host have long fallen. The darker green, to bottom left, is the foliage of common ivy. The common lime tree is a natural hybrid, T. platyphyllos x cordata, possibly native to the UK. It is often the tallest broadleaved tree visible in many UK landscapes. It is a common host for V. album, but the infestation visible here is unusually heavy. The tree is still alive, but has been weakened by the parasite it supports, resulting in subsidiary trunks and a poorly developed crown. Mistletoe is a hemi-parasite; capable of photosynthesis, but dependent on its host for water and minerals. Its seeds are dispersed by birds.