Mistletoe in Wellington
What are mistletoes?
Mistletoes are semi-parasitic plants. They have leaves or stems for photosynthesis but also obtain water and nutrients from a host (a tree or shrub).
There are nine species native to New Zealand. Three species occur mainly in beech forest, the red mistletoe (Peraxilla tetrapetala), the scarlet mistletoe (P. colensoi), and the yellow mistletoe (Alepis flavida).
Red mistletoe, Peraxilla tetrapetala
The small-flowered mistletoe (Ileostylus micranthus), the white mistletoe (Tupeia antarctica) and the three dwarf or leafless mistletoes (Korthalsella salicornioides, K.lindsayi and K. clavata) all occur in lowland forest and scrub. One species (Trilepedia adamsii or Adams's mistletoe) is presumed extinct and is the only native mistletoe never to have been recorded in Wellington. One exotic mistletoe (Viscum album), a native of Europe, was once recorded from the Wairarapa but has not been seen for many years.
Where do mistletoes occur?
Small-flowered mistletoe occurs throughout New Zealand and is the most abundant species in Wellington. White mistletoe is also found throughout New Zealand, but is rare in Wellington.
Small-flowered mistletoe, Ileostylus
micranthus
Locally, both these species grow on a range of native and exotic trees and shrubs, often in regenerating shrubland or in areas with high light levels such as forest edges and road margins. In Wellington, small-flowered mistletoe occurs mainly on totara and Coprosma propinqua, but it is also found on several other native and exotic host species.
White mistletoe grows on host trees such as lemonwood and white maire. Populations are scattered, with each population consisting of only a small number of plants. The three beech mistletoes are found throughout New Zealand. They are known for their masses of red or yellow-orange flowers in summer. They have been found in small numbers in the Tararua and Rimutaka ranges. Yellow mistletoe was thought to be extinct in the Wellington region until it was rediscovered on a property in eastern Wairarapa in 2006, where it had last been seen in 1947. In the past, red and yellow mistletoe have also been recorded from the eastern Wairarapa beech forests.
The two dwarf mistletoes Korthalsella salicornioides and K. lindsayi are most common in the Wairarapa although were once far more widespread. K. clavata has only recently been discovered in the region at Turakirae and east of Lake Wairarapa.
Adams's mistletoe was once found in Auckland on Great Barrier, Waiheke Island and the Hunua Ranges, but is now thought to be extinct.