Close up of red Mistletoe flower, this specimen going on an Acacia tree in the Mallee country of Northern Victoria. A parasitic plant that grows on a multiude of host plants, the wide variety of Mistletoe plants throughout the world were once thought to be damaging to the environment but recent research indicates that many environments are actually better off because of the Mistletoe. In Australia for example, not only do the flowers provide food for insects and birds, but around 75% of tree nesting birds in Australia use the often dense cover of the Mistletoe for nest sites.