Choosing a Christmas tree. Kissing under the mistletoe. Many people enjoy these fun traditions during the holiday season. But with climate change and habitat loss, some of these plants associated with Christmas are under threat.
Fraser fir
The Fraser fir (Abies fraseri), native to the southeastern U.S., is popularly used as a Christmas tree. However, it’s classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Its population has declined since the 1960s, partly due to invasive pests like the balsam woolly adelgid (Adelges piceae). According to the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Information, the insects have killed 95% of Fraser firs across North Carolina state.
Climate change is also putting these firs at risk. Fraser firs sustained the most damage among Christmas trees during the U.S.’s extreme drought in 2021. When Hurricane Helene hit the U.S. in September this year, it caused mudslides that uprooted thousands of trees. The Miami Herald reported the hurricane cost North Carolina farmers $30 million to $125 million, in addition to around a million saplings lost. The warmer and wetter climate is also helping the spread of a root-rotting mold called Phytophthora, the report said.
Mistletoe
In some Christmas traditions, if you stand underneath a hanging mistletoe, you kiss the person beside you. Historical accounts claim the tradition dates back thousands of years when mistletoe symbolized fertility. Sprigs of mistletoe, usually the American species (Phoradendron leucarpum) with white berries, have become a Christmas staple.
Mistletoes are parasitic plants, with more than 1,300 species, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). However, a recently published study counts 58 mistletoe species as globally threatened. One species, the Adams mistletoe (Trilepidea adamsii) from New Zealand, is documented as extinct.
Of the threatened species, 67% are in Africa. Habitat destruction due to agriculture, residential and commercial development, as well as logging, are reported as the primary reasons behind mistletoe loss and the decline of the plants’ pollinators and seed dispersers.
Holly
“Deck the halls with boughs of holly” is probably one of the most recognizable Christmas lyrics. With its red berries, holly is often used to adorn Christmas wreaths.
The holly family of plants have more than 600 species. One species, Ilex gardneriana, was previously listed as extinct on the IUCN Red List, but was reassessed as critically endangered in 2019 after it was found to be present in the Nigiri Hills in India. The IUCN notes that “it is described as rare, possibly heading towards extinction” as it faces threats from farming, residential and commercial development.
However, the English holly (Ilex aquifolium) and American holly (Ilex opaca), most commonly used for Christmas, aren’t considered threatened. English holly is considered invasive in some parts of the U.S., where it’s been introduced as an ornamental plant.
Banner image of English holly by Sdjurovic via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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