Mistletoe

Help protect mistletoe in Wellington

Contact:

Wellington Hawke's Bay Conservancy Office
Phone: +64 4 472 5821
Email: wellingtonco@doc.govt.nz
Full office details

If you have mistletoe plants on your property the following actions will help to sustain and enhance current populations:

  • Take care not to remove mistletoe plants or their host trees or habitats during vegetation clearance/trimming.
  • Wrap aluminium bands around host tree trunks to prevent possums climbing trees and browsing on plants.

  • Small-flowered mistletoe, Ileostylus micranthus, the most abundant species in Wellington. Photo: Aalbert Rebergen.
    Small-flowered mistletoe, the most
    abundant species in Wellington

  • Control possums and other pest species to allow mistletoe survival. The added benefit of sustained possum, rat and mustelid control is the increase in native bird populations, crucial for dispersal of mistletoe fruit.
  • Do not pick mistletoes as they can take many years to replace lost branches.
  • Report sightings of mistletoes to your nearest Department of Conservation office. While all can be found throughout the year, beech mistletoes tend to be more visible during summer (December-January) when they are flowering.
Conservation for prosperity. Tiakina te taiao, kia puawai