A mistletoe discovered in Hämeenlinna has garnered the interest of researchers due to its unusual northern location, with experts knowing its age but not its origin.
A mistletoe species found in Hämeenlinna, Finland, has sparked significant interest among scientists, as it is the first time this species has been identified so far north. Kati Pihlaja, a specialist from the Botany Museum of the University of Turku, has studied the shrub and believes it offers insights into the species' spread across Finland. Pihlaja explains that the age of the mistletoe can be determined by counting its growth nodes, as the plant produces one node each year.
The mistletoe was initially found by Jori Pyörälä, who took a branch as a souvenir, which Pihlaja suspects belonged to the oldest and largest part of the plant. From the remaining branches, she was able to count eight nodes, but based on an original photograph taken by Pyörälä, it appears that the plant could have as many as ten nodes. Pihlaja elucidates that mistletoe adopts a growth pattern where it may take one to two years to visibly extend before energetically burrowing itself into the host tree's branch. This indicates that the mistletoe likely settled long before it was discovered by Pyörälä.
