Category: Uncategorized

Nathalie Mignotte

Our November talk attracted a good audience of members and guests to hear about the landscape and flora of Hokkaido , the most Northerly island and the second largest of Japan. It has coastlines on the Sea of Japan. the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean and is on the same latitude as Vladivostok. The centre is mountainous with volcanic plateaux.

The mystic of the country was brought to life by Nathalie Mignotte with wonderful slides of the ever changing landscape supported by her tales as a single intrepid traveller – having to participate in bear drill and hoping not to encounter one or preparing for long walks with hot matcha tea and a red bean pasty.

Known for its national parks the area has a volcanic legacy which has shaped a wilderness with low population density but peppered with hot springs, lakes, mountains, forests and patches of cultivated land . Warm summers are followed by harsh winters with many feet of snow whilst cold Arctic winds blow in from Siberia , each leaving their mark on the flora and fauna of the area.

During our tour with Nathalie we learned much about this fascinating area:

Each cultivated area is dedicated only to a single crop , be it rice or an orchard fruit such as plums and is concentrated inland – there is no mixed agriculture.

The national parks are well managed but not over managed to protect the natural landscape which takes priority over people . There is a huge respect for nature throughout Japan .So hot sulphur springs could be observed at close quarters without notices or barriers to warn the public and no one would ever pick any plant or flower out of its natural habitat. Locally growing indigenous bamboo or wood such as oak or birch are used to provide footpaths and to emphasise the natural look.

Tsunamis, typhoons and earthquakes occur which totally destroy vegetation and inform land management . A very acidic soil with brackish water provides the environment for dwarf azalea, rhododendron, grasses and bamboo under oak trees in the space of a mile . Enormous water lilies thrive despite enduring winter temperatures  which freeze the lakes to a depth of three feet. Around every corner is a new vista whether mountain , blue lake or round black pumice stones .

The area is well known for moss and is the only place in the world where moss balls naturally occur in Lake Akan . Known as Marimo they are in fact a unique type of spherical algae, not moss , are protected as a declining species and symbolise everlasting love and luck.

October 22^nd 2025

Dr Michael Jones

Mistletoe, fact, myth and legend was exactly what we were given by Dr Michael Jones, a popular returning speaker. Dr Jones was a lecturer in Botany at Newman University in Birmingham as well as spending three years in Africa studying Mistletoe. He continues to visit Africa each year to study the pollination of these plants. 

Our talk was initially about the botany of Mistletoe and we learnt that there are two families of Mistletoe; 940 species of Loranthaceae (the showy ones) and 450 species of Viscaceae, 1390 in total. Recorded species include the smallest, which has berries larger than the plant itself, and the largest in Western Australia which looks like a tree.

The term Haustoriam was introduced next. A projection from the parasitic Mistletoe that anchors it to the host and then enables the Mistletoe to penetrate host tissues and absorb nutrients. The host is not killed but does suffer. 

One thing that surprised many of us was that the Mistletoe we commonly associate with Christmas in the UK, namely Viscus album, grows only in the south of England, particularly around counties like Worcestershire and Herefordshire. Whilst happy with cold winters it likes an average July temperature of 16 degrees. Seeds are dispersed by the aptly named Mistletoe Thrush but also Blackcaps. 

We learnt the ball shape (usually seen in apple trees) is formed through annual dichotomous branching and this allows the plant to gain maximum exposure to sun. 

December 1st is National Mistletoe Day and in Tenbury Wells, the Mistletoe capital of England, various traditions take place.

Using Mistletoe is thought to originate from Saturnalia an ancient mid winter Roman festival, later becoming Christmas, when not much was available to decorate. Why do we kiss under the Mistletoe at Christmas? No one really knows but there are lots of associations of love and friendship, fertility and life due to fruiting in our winter and this English tradition became more popular under the Victorians.

Druids revered Mistletoe on oak trees and saw it as a cure all leading to All Heals Day (now All Hallows Day). Medicinal uses for Mistletoe include a complementary treatment for cancer and use as an anti inflammatory. However, Mistletoe is extremely toxic in high doses and contains Viscin, similar to Rycin which was used to kill the Russian Dissident in 1978. It is therefore mentioned in the Prevention and Suppression of Terrorism Act.

So overall we learnt much about Mistletoe but also how much is still yet to be learnt and through questions Dr Jones suggested there were many PHD topics still to be explored.