Mistletoe Identification — What Does Mistletoe Look Like?
Once the leaves drop, green balls appear high in bare trees, and many of them are mistletoe. Upload a photo and our free AI tells you whether it's mistletoe, a witches' broom, or a squirrel nest, and whether it's safe around pets.
Upload Your Image
Drag and drop your image here, or click to browse
Supports JPG, PNG, HEIC formats up to 10MB. Your images are processed securely and not stored.
Mistletoe berries and leaves are toxic
Eating mistletoe can cause vomiting and diarrhea in people and pets, and large amounts of European mistletoe may affect heart rate. Hang it out of reach and pick up fallen berries. If a child eats some, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222; for pets, call your vet or an animal poison line.
How to Identify Mistletoe
Check these features before you rely on any single one — the combination is what confirms the ID.
Mistletoe is a parasitic shrub that grows on tree branches. In winter it's easy to spot as round, green, bushy clumps high in otherwise bare hardwood trees like oaks, maples, and apple trees.
Leaves grow in opposite pairs along jointed green stems. American mistletoe leaves are thick, oval, and dark green; European mistletoe leaves are narrower and yellow-green.
Small, translucent white berries in clusters ripen in late fall and winter, filled with sticky pulp that birds spread from tree to tree. Red berries mean holly, not mistletoe.
Look where the clump meets the tree: mistletoe grows directly out of the bark, with no soil or nest material. A clump of dead leaves and twigs is likely a squirrel nest.
On pines, firs, and spruces, tiny yellow-green or brown leafless shoots and swollen, distorted branches indicate dwarf mistletoe, a serious forest pest in western North America.
American mistletoe grows across the eastern and southern US. European mistletoe is the traditional Christmas mistletoe in the UK and Europe and grows locally in parts of California.
Mistletoe and What It's Mistaken For
American Mistletoe
Thick, oval, dark-green paired leaves and white berries, in round clumps on hardwoods in the eastern and southern US. Toxic if eaten, mainly causing stomach upset.
European Mistletoe
Narrower yellow-green leaves and sticky white berries on apple, poplar, and lime trees. The traditional kissing mistletoe; more toxic than the American species.
Witches' Broom
Dense, twiggy clusters on a branch caused by fungi, insects, or genetic mutation. It's part of the tree itself, with the tree's own leaves or none at all in winter, and no white berries.
Squirrel Nest (Drey)
A brown ball of dead leaves and twigs wedged in a fork of the branches. No green leaves or berries.
Holly
Glossy, spiny-edged evergreen leaves with red berries, growing as a shrub or tree from the ground. Berries are toxic; often sold alongside mistletoe.
Poison Ivy Vine With Berries
Hairy vines climbing tree trunks with clusters of grey-white berries in winter. Don't collect them for wreaths: the urushiol oil causes a severe rash, even from bare vines.
Found a different plant, berry, or tree? Our free picture identifier identifies any plant from one photo.
Recommended Gear & Guides
Identified it? Here's the gear people reach for next — hand-picked and available on Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate, IdentifyThis earns from qualifying purchases. This adds no cost to you and helps keep our identifier free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources & References
Our identification guides are researched from the authorities below and reviewed by the IdentifyThis team. AI photo identification is a helpful starting point — for anything involving safety (venomous species, edibility, or medical symptoms), always confirm with a qualified expert before acting.
- AVMA — Veterinary & animal health
- Poison Control — Exposure & emergency guidance (1-800-222-1222)
- Cooperative Extension — University extension plant & pest guides
- USDA PLANTS Database — Plant species & distribution
Reviewed by the IdentifyThis team · Last updated August 2026