Viscum album subsp. abietis (Wiesb.) Abromeit. ——分佈在中歐,果實為白色,葉片最長可達8cm;寄生於冷杉屬(Abies)植物。
Viscum album subsp. album. ——分佈在歐洲、西南亞(東至尼泊爾),也是歐洲的主要亞種,果實為白色,葉片長度3~5cm;寄生於蘋果屬(Malus)、楊屬(Populus)、椴屬(Tilia)植物,偶爾也寄生在許多其它物種上。特別重要的是罕見地寄生在櫟屬(Quercus)植物的情形,曾經具有重要的文化意涵。
Viscum album subsp. austriacum (Wiesb.) Vollmann. ——分佈在中歐以及澳大利亞,果實為黃色,葉片長度2~4cm;寄生於落葉松屬(Larix)、松屬(Pinus)和雲杉屬(Picea)植物。
Viscum album subsp. meridianum (Danser) D.G.Long. ——分佈在東南亞,果實為黃色,葉片長度3~5cm;寄生於楓屬(Acer)、鵝耳櫪屬(Carpinus)、胡桃屬(Juglans)、李亞屬(Prunus)、花楸屬(Sorbus)植物。
Viscum album subsp. creticum ——近來在克里特島東部發現的新亞種[4],果實為白色,葉片短小;寄生於土耳其松(Pinus brutia)。
Viscum album subsp. coloratum Kom.——日本分佈的主要亞種[20]。果實為淡黃色,宿主植物種類多樣。偶然有果實為橙黃色者,會被稱為アカミヤドリギ f. rubro-aurantiacum ,即「赤身宿り木」(紅身槲寄生),但在《中國植物志》上被處理為獨立種Viscum coloratum (Kom) Nakai。已證實日本分佈的槲寄生與歐洲各亞種間屬於同一個染色體系統,但卻有最大的染色體染色體易位多樣性[21]。
古希臘人很早就知道槲寄生的一些自然特徵。例如,逍遙學派的代表人泰奧弗拉斯托斯就對槲寄生有過一番考察。在其著作《論植物之生成》(On the Causes of Plants ,Περὶ φυτῶν αἰτιῶν)中,泰奧弗拉斯托斯注意到了槲寄生不在地上生長而只在某些宿主樹種上生長的特徵,並已經知道鳥類會食用其漿果,據此推斷是鳥類負責為其播種[47]。
一般相信,今天西方在槲寄生下接吻的普遍習俗來自於基督教早期的擴張和對其他宗教及民俗的吸收,但具體來源說法多樣,可能有與古羅馬農神節相關的傳統,可能與凱爾特人的習俗有關[50],也可能與斯堪地納維亞神話的改編版本有關[55]。不過直到16世紀的英格蘭才有相關的記錄,而在當時這卻已經是一個相當普遍的習俗。而它為眾人所知的時刻則也是在18世紀,1808年其曾經被試圖推廣[56],據信維多利亞時代的服務階層(serving class)是使這種習俗長存的動力。而最出名的描述當屬美國作家華盛頓•歐文(Washington Irving)1820年的著作《英倫見聞錄》(The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent)[57],其中寫道:
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In a newspaper advertisement for shaving products:'THE KISS UNDER THE MISSELTOE. Under the misseltoe the maid was led/Altho' she cried, No, she held up her head/To obtain a kiss: a sigh was heard./The reason why - Tom rubbed her with his beard' The Times (London, England), 13 October 1808; p.4
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