At this time of year, certain plants play an important  part in Christmas celebrations.  One is the Christmas Tree itself - which became established in Victorian times after Prince Albert introduced one in the Royal Household.  A Christmas tree is invariably a conifer but any of the following species may be used :

• Norway Spruce Picea abies
• Silver Fir Abies alba 
• Nordmann Fir Abies normanniana
• Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris

and in North America

• Douglas Fir Pseudotuga menziesii  and
• Balsam Fir Abies balsamea.

There is also the artificial Christmas tree. These originated in Germany in the late 1800s, and were typically made from dyed goose feathers attached to a central pole / wire frame.  Later in the 1930s, the Addis company used the machinery for making their toilet brushes to create ”trees’ .  Animal bristles, dyed green, were used to form the needles of the ‘trees’.  Nowadays, most of the artificial Christmas trees come from China.

Apart from the Christmas tree, there is also Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe. All are evergreen plants.  Bringing greenery is an age old tradition associated with the coming of, or ‘rebirth’ of Spring.  The holly tree is either male or female, and also not a conifer. The leaves have spines and a thick, protective and waxy cuticle. Its leaves (as a garland around the door) were thought provide protection for the home, warding off evil spirits.  It was also used in the ancient Celtic Festival of Beltane to welcome in summer.

It is certainly the case that in the past, the distribution of holly was far more widespread. The Needwood Forest in Staffordshire was a significant and ancient midlands forest but after the Enclosure Act of 1803, large numbers of its trees were felled.  In his ‘Plant Book’, Professor David Mabberley notes that some 150,000 holly trees were taken from this forest to provide bobbins for the cotton mills of Lancashire.  Bagot’s Wood is said to be the largest existing piece of this ancient woodland). Holly was also an important species in hunting estates and deer parks. Sometimes it was planted around saplings of other more valuable trees to deter browsing by deer. The  leaves of Holly are palatable to livestock, despite their spines.  It is the only evergreen tree (found in deciduous forest or woodland) that does not contain chemicals that are toxic to sheep or cattle. For many centuries, it was common practice to provide holly as fodder for livestock, during the winter months when other foodstuff such as hay or grains were in short supply.  Without the provision of the holly, livestock might have to be slaughtered.  The practice of using holly as fodder was more common in areas like Cumbria, the Welsh Borders and the Pennines*. Again in the past, Holly was also for hedging as it was virtually impenetrable, though the downside of using holly was its relatively slow growth. The berries of holly are attractive food to some birds, especially redwings and fieldfares.

Holly and Ivy are often used to make festive wreaths and garlands. Common ivy (Hedera helix) may be found growing in woodlands, hedgerows or on walls. Sometimes it is a climber; sometimes it forms a layer at ground level.  It is a woody, evergreen perennial that is distributed throughout much of the British Isles, and many parts of Europe. It can grow in a variety of soil types, and when mature is resistant to many harsh conditions, being particularly tolerant of shade.

Last of the Christmas plants is the mistletoe. Mistletoe is well known for the custom of “kissing underneath the mistletoe”. It is an unusual plant in that it is a hemiparasite that grows on trees such as apple, lime, poplar and hawthorn.  It forms large balls that are suspended  from the branches and and more obvious in the winter months (see featured image), when the host has lost its leaves.  Whilst it can make sugars and other complex organic compounds, it relies on its host plant for water and mineral salts.  It does this by forming ‘clamp-like’ connections (known as haustoria) with the water conduction tissue (xylem tissue) of the host plant.Mistletoe is an important species on woodlands. Some species are directly dependent upon it, or example the mistletoe marble moth and the 'kiss me slow weevil', and the berries provide food for number of different birds.    When mistletoe is removed from woodlands,  the number of woodland birds tends to decline as does biodiversity.