White mistletoe Tupeia antarctica

Key Features

• A shrubby parasite to 1 m diameter, with narrow-oblong bright green leaves 2-6 cm long, that are arranged in opposite pairs.
• Flowers are much smaller than in red or scarlet mistletoe, and change colour from yellow to orange as they age.
• Flowers occur in clusters of 2-11 and give rise to small, egg-shaped, white, yellow, pink or red fruits.

Distribution and Habitat

• Throughout New Zealand but with a predominantly eastern distribution.
• Often in secondary vegetation where a range of short-lived native and exotic species act as hosts, including marbleleaf, broom, and species of Coprosma, Pittosporum, and Pseudopanax.

Threats

• Habitat modification and loss.
• Possum browse.
• Decline of birds (chiefly bellbird and tui) associated with pollination and dispersal.
• Fungal disease.

Management Opportunities

• Survey for new locations.
• Mark known sites.
• Protection of habitat.
• Enhance habitat for bellbirds and tui (e.g. by planting nectar-producing species such as flax and kowhai).
• Possum control by poisoning or trapping, caging plants or banding host trees.
• Ensure that forest owners are aware of potential habitats and can recognise the species.

Monitoring Options

• Check existing populations annually.
• Report new locations to DOC, NZPCN.

Further Information and Support

• New Zealand Plant Conservation Network (NZPCN). http://www.nzpcn.org.nz
• References:
  • Dopson et al. (1999). The conservation requirements of New Zealand’s nationally threatened vascular plants. Threatened Species Occasional Publication 13. Department of Conservation, Wellington.
  • Poole & Adams (1994). Trees and shrubs of New Zealand. Maanaki Whenua Press, Lincoln.