GUI (plant)

Description

The GUI is a fascinating sub-shrub, after a few years, the appearance of a large ball yellowish green of 50 cm to one meter in diameter. In winter, after the fall of the sheets, it becomes easily locatable in the trees. Certain branches can reach 60 cm height.

It is fixed at its host by one to suçoir primary of conical form which is inserted deeply to wood, without being able to penetrate woody fabric. However, the increase in wood in thickness by the formation of the annual rings ends up more deeply including this to suçoir. This one emits side ramifications, the cortical cords which penetrate and ramifies under the bark in extreme cases of the Cambium and the Liber and emits in their turn of the secondary suçoirs. The observation on a cut branch of the depression of these suçoirs in the rings of wood makes it possible to determine the age of the tuft, which can reach 30 years.

The green stems, of cylindrical section, have a dichotomic mode of ramification in consequence of the abortion of the final Bourgeon. This dichotomy is not however absolute, it can arrive that more than two branches leave the same node. The successive ramifications lead to the shape of ball, their number making it possible to evaluate the age of the plant.

The sheets, also green often drawing on a yellowish green, simple, round, without petiole and are laid out per pairs opposed at the end of the branches. Their limb, coriace, from 5 to 6 cm length, is traversed by five Nervure S parallels. They persist 18 months at two years making of the GUI an always green plant.

The GUI is a plant Dioïque, with thus of the tufts with female flowers and others at male flowers, and a flowering in March and April. It can happen that the close tufts are overlapping giving the impression of feet hermaphrodite S.

The flowers, sessile, yellowish, are grouped in small inflorescences inserted into the level of the nodes of the stems. The male flowers comprise four Tépale S which carry the Anthère S without net. With flowering, they let appear the Pollen on their inner face.

The female flowers are very particular also: it comprise four tepals surmounting an ovary infère welded with the receptacle.

The fruits given by the female tufts are false bay S globulous from 8 to 10 mms in diameter, of a vitreous white, fleshy and viscous, characteristic underlined by Virgile and Pline, from where the term of viscum . Pulp consists of viscin, sticking substance which contributes to fixing seeds on the branches of the plant-hosts.

The fruits mature between August and December and germinate only next spring.

Biology

The GUI is a plant hémiparasite, i.e. it is not completely dependant on its host. He uses the resources of the plant host by tapping water and rock salt to him, but he has Chlorophylle and can manufacture his own sugars.

More than one hundred of species of trees are likely to be parasitized. Among the leafy trees, the trees most frequently reached are the Pommier S, the Peuplier S (especially the black Peuplier) and the Tremble S, the Aubépine S, the Saule S, the Robinier S and the Tilleul S. One also often finds it on the Poirier S, the Noisetier S and the Cerisier S, and more rarely on the Noyer S, and the Frêne S. One never finds it on the Hêtre S and the Platane S. His presence on the Elm S and the Chêne S is very rare, from where importance which the druids granted to the GUI collected on the oaks. Particular forms parasitize also the Sapin S and the pine S, and occasionally the spruce S. the GUI also can, accidentally to parasitize another tuft of GUI.

Its dispersion is primarily ensured by some Turdinae whose in particular Grive drains which raffolent fruits of the GUI and rejects seeds not digested in their droppings, sometimes with several kilometers taking into account the time of digestion. Let us note that the Mésange S and the Fauvette S which peel bays on the spot ensure a dissemination more limited much. Seed stuck to the tree (viscin) of pulp of the fruit or on any other substrate emerges then one or two green outgrowths (Hypocotyle S) - seldom three -, corresponding each one to a Embryon. The hypocotyle develops - its end presents a bulge - and moves towards the substrate. In contact with the substrate, a “disc of fixing” allowing is secreted adherence. At the conclusion approximately two months always develops at the end of hypocotyle what is called a " coin" - by using the reserves of the cotyledons of the seed -, which penetrates the bark of the tree-host (for seeds “fallen” into this situation) to the vessels transporting the sap; it is the transformation of hypocotyle of “to suçoir”. The embryo can thus not remain a long time in a state of épiphyte sensus sricto, i.e. completely autonomous (chlorophyllian function); but in all the cases, during the first year especially and following the taking away of sap is weak. Next spring any more, seed intiale, it does not remain that one small stem, corresponding to suçoir, then will emerge two small sheets constituting the first stage of a new tuft.

Varieties

Certain authors distinguish three subspecies from the GUI:

Viscum album Mali , the white GUI of Europe, most common, parasitizing the leafy trees,

Viscum album abietis , the GUI of the fir tree,
Viscum album pini , the GUI of the pine.

There in addition exist some 70 species of the kind Viscum distributed in the moderate areas.

The American GUI , Phoradendron leucarpum , although resembling the white GUI of Europe belongs to a distinct kind, Phoradendron , originating in North America.

Distribution

The surface of distribution of the GUI is rather vast. It includes/understands:

the North Africa,
the Europe: Scandinavia with the Iberian peninsula and British Isles with the Russia and the Ukraine,
the minor Asia and the the Middle East (Lebanon, Syria),
the area of the the Caucasus,
the the Far East (Japan and Korea),
the Indian Sub-continent and the Indo-China.

It is a species present especially in the areas of plains and hills.

History

The Greeks associated the GUI with Hermes, large messenger of the Olympe, but also god of health.

Time of the Gallic, the Druide S went in forest to cut the crowned GUI, the sixth day of the Celtic year. They cut the GUI while exclaiming: “ O Ghel year Heu ” what means “ literally That the corn germinates ”. This expression will be modernized with the Middle Ages in “ With the GUI the new year ”.

In Brittany, at the 19th century still, the children were going to knock on the doors of the middle-class houses by shouting the “ corn germinates ” and they received New Year's gifts.

The druids regarded this plant as crowned because of the virtues medicinal, or even miraculous, that they allotted to him; the GUI drove out the bad spirits, purified the hearts, cured the bodies, neutralized the poisons, ensured the fruitfulness of the herds, even made it possible to see the phantoms and to make them speak. The GUI gathered on the Chêne - rare thing - was particularly required because this tree symbolized the force and the power.

According to a Scandinavian legend , the god sun, Baldut, had been killed by an arrow manufactured with a stem of GUI by the Loki demon. His/her mother, Preyla, beseeched the other gods for her return to the life, and this one became the symbol of the love and the pardon.

Fight against the GUI

The GUI is regarded as a Fléau by the foresters and the nurserymen because his presence causes the weakening of the tree-host, slows down his growth and in the case of decreases the quality of wood as well as the fruit-bearing production the apple trees. At the point of fixing of the GUI, it occurs a bulge of the branch host, then gradually a measurable weakening of the part located beyond this point, part which ends with long up being desiccated. Moreover the weakening of the tree supports other attacks of parasite S, mushrooms and insects in particular.

Once stuck on a branch, the seed germinates and develops a cone of fixing equipped in its center with a root to suçoir which is inserted in the cortex of the tree-host, with the research of conducting fabrics of sap.

The fight against the GUI is not easy. The most tested is the mechanical method which consists in removing the tufts of GUI, but that is generally not sufficient because as long as the cortical cords were not extirpated, those can emit adventitious buds able to create new tufts. It is thus necessary to cut the branches rather largely before the point of fixing, but that is not always feasible if the GUI is established on a main branch, even on the trunk.

No chemicals currently exist to control the GUI without harming the plant host. The chemical destruction, in particular by the injection in the trunk of the host of Herbicide S systemic, which is conveyed by the Sève, is the subject of research in order to find substances specific.

Finally the prevention, by the selection of Cultivar S naturally resistant, is a promising way of research.

In France, the GUI is reproduced on the list of the harmful organizations whose destruction can be made compulsory by order of the prefect.

Properties and uses

Properties

The GUI contains toxic substances (glucosides) which can cause in the event of ingestion of the fruits of the digestive disorders, and even of the cardiac disorders if the number of introduced bays exceeds ten.

Constituent: Choline, viscalbine, viscoflavine, acetylcholine, viscotoxine, inositol, Mannite, Saponin, acids, salts, Vitamin C, resin.

Pharmacopeia

Left used: sheets and small branches;
Properties: hypotensor, vasodilator, antiepileptic, diuretic;
Directions for use: infusion, dyeing, syrup, extract of fluid, œnolé, extracted viscous.

The GUI was formerly prescribed against the epilepsy, the nervous disorders, for the regulation of the glandular activities, the cardiac rhythm and digestion. The Décoction of the small branches gives good performances on engelures, but can be the cause of intolerance.

The Viscin, substance extracted the GUI, can with strong amount slow down the cardiac rhythm dangerously, cause convulsions, increase the blood pressure and to even cause an abortion, whereas in low dose, it has beneficial effects on the people suffering from hypertension and cardiac diseases.

The young person-growths sheets of spring are used in Gemmothérapie

Extracts of GUI were used as additives treatment of certain cancers treated by chemotherapy. For the cancer of the skin, a study EORTC did not show a benefit in term of survival of this therapeutic. For breast cancer, a study shows an improvement of the scores evaluating the quality of life of the patients, but not of benefit in term of survival.

Decoration of Christmas

In North America, one decoration often with sheets of GUI. The tradition wants that if two people of Sexe opposed, or the same sex in the event of Homosexualité, find themselves under the GUI, they must be embraced.

Others

the foliage of the GUI was sometimes used like Fourrage to supplement the food of the cattle at the bad season. It was considered to support the Lactation cows and goats.
the fruits of the GUI, once macerated, fermented and cooked, give a fine and very adhesive adhesive which was used as lime ( lime of the bird-catchers ).
the tufts of GUI with their fruits are preserved very well during weeks even months as an ornament for example. It is enough to soak the ends of the stems cut in water and to change this one from time to time. Quickly water dyes the brown pale one, but curiously, even the putrefaction of this water, at least in these first stages, does not affect the health of the GUI.

a Buprestide Coleopter lives exclusively in the wood of the GUI: Agrilus viscivorus (Bily). This species threatened by the cut of the old orchards is announced in France since 2005.

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