ARTICLE : Mistletoe as rare as in Wellington

 December 2002 – Mistletoe as rare as in Wellington

Red mistletoe, Peraxilla tetrapetala.

As a small boy growing up in Nelson, I remember we bought fruit and vegetables at the local fruiterer, a small-scale shop with hand-written prices and all the associated smells of fresh produce.     At Christmas time a large basket would appear which contained sprigs of mistletoe flower, probably Peraxilla tetrapetala.     These were purchased and set up above the doorway of homes.     A lucky New Year kiss was acceptable social etiquette under the mistletoe.     I remember some women wearing a sprig in their hair at Christmas and New Year functions.     I suppose that dispensed with the necessity for a doorway.     This practice probably died out in the late 1960s.  

I still visit Nelson regularly and fortunately the red mistletoes are more common than in Wellington.     In winter they are very evident in deciduous introduced tree species such as elm and poplar in the Tasman District.  

During the late 1970s to the early 1980s I worked as a ranger in Craigieburn Forest Park, Canterbury.     The whole forest was predominantly high-altitude, mountain beech forest, and mistletoe was comparatively common.     The most common species was Alepis flavida, which is now thought extinct in Wellington.     I remember coming across a couple of old boys, sifting through a thicket of regenerating mountain beech seedling, on the edge of the road at Craigieburn.     Being a keen sole-charge ranger, I stopped to see what they were up to.     “Hello, what are you looking for?” “Oh we are interested in the mistletoes.”   “You are interested in native plants then?” “Yes, you could say that,” replied Brian Molloy as he introduced me to his cohort, Lindsey Poole.     When it finally clicked, I realised I certainly could not have stated the more obvious.     I was of course delighted to meet such esteemed botanists and discovered they were preparing a joint publication at that time.

For the last 12 years I have worked for the Wellington Regional Council (WRC) in the pest animal field.     Initially work focused on service delivery to landowners and we did a lot of rabbit and possum poisoning.     With time the job has evolved with greater focus on protecting native habitat from animal pests that are threatening the future biodiversity of such areas.     The WRC has a Key Native Ecosystem programme (KNE), which has surveyed native bush remnants in our region, and after a scoring exercise, the top scoring areas have had possum control work carried out in them.     During the survey process I was introduced to the rare mistletoe species of the Wellington region.

Peraxilla tetrapetala seed were planted on red beech in July, 2002 (top).   All seeds germinated within a month, but by November, most had shrivelled and died (above).

I must pay a compliment to a colleague who has done an outstanding job for native plant conservation in our region and who has always been most helpful.     It is of course the society’s own John Sawyer, Species Protection, Department of Conservation.     John has done an outstanding job in publishing various endangered plant inventories for the Wellington Conservancy (I am sure he leads the way for all conservancies).     These have been instrumental in guiding people back to former locations, and the rediscovery of endangered plants.     He has been very helpful and has imparted his knowledge when we have found unusual plants during our KNE surveys.     I am sure he will brush this comment off and say everybody helps like a big network, but thanks John.

Initially John introduced me to the Ileostylus micranthus at Benge Park in Upper Hutt.     This area, which is located 5-minutes walk from our Upper Hutt WRC depot, has quite a few individuals on various hosts including totara, Melicope simplex and Lophomyrtus obcordata.     I consider these plants have been successful because Benge Park is possum-free.     Unfortunately there is a children’s playing area associated with this reserve and several of the hosts have been recently killed by vandalism.     Upper Hutt City Council Parks staff have attempted fencing and under-planting to improve habitat and prevent foot traffic and soil compaction.

I have also been most fortunate to make some mistletoe rediscoveries myself.     I had collected some of the Benge Park seed and was placing it on suitable edge tree hosts at Bartons Bush in 1997, when I relocated a large Ileostylus micranthus that was last recorded in 1947.     It was growing on a Melicope simplex host.     I suspect that the mistletoe was more evident following possum control in Bartons Bush in 1995.

In November 1999, while doing a pre-operational field inspection in Wi Tako Reserve at Silverstream, I located a Peraxilla tetrapetala growing on a hard beech trunk 1.5 metres above the ground.     When I first saw it I thought it looked like tanekaha, but closer inspection revealed a new mistletoe site.     Three years later in January 2002, WRC Biosecurity Officer, Fiona Bancroft, while setting up invertebrate monitoring stations, located another Peraxilla tetrapetala 20 metres north of the one I found.     It was also on a hard beech but 3 metres above the ground.     This area has since had possum control work.

During September 2002, another satisfying rediscovery of Peraxilla tetrapetala at Silverstream Scenic Reserve, adjoining Keith George Memorial Park, was made by Chris Hopkins of Wellington Botanical Society.     This was last recorded in 1948.     It also has a hard beech host and is located 10 metres up the trunk.     Interestingly this area has also received possum control since September 1998.

This year I observed Korthalsella salicornioides growing on many manuka hosts over an area of about 50 square metres.     I’m not sure whether this area is recorded, but it is located on the slope adjoining the road beside the Mana boat sheds.

Another brilliant idea John Sawyer is advocating is the planting around our Upper Hutt depot of endangered plants that are important to the WRC estate.     The idea is to provide propagating material and to educate our staff, about what to look for.     Fortunately we have a 3-metre red beech, ribbonwood and pittosporums, so I thought I would have a go at mistletoe propagation.

Ileostylus micranthus seeds were planted on ribbonwood in May 2002.   Two seedlings have survived to date.

I collected Peraxilla tetrapetala seed from Wi Tako and in April pushed the sticky seed onto the small branch axils on the red beech.     Within a month all had sprouted.     In November most had shrivelled up and died.     A few may be hanging on, but it is hard to tell if they are alive or dead.     When this seed is ripe it is still green but the outer skin is soft to touch.

I planted several Ileostylus micranthus on ribbonwood, Plagianthus regius, in May and by July they had started to germinate.     In November two individuals on two hosts still survived with little cotyledons visible.

A colleague from Wairarapa, Harvey Phillips, gave me some Tupeia antarctica from Solway, Masterton, on 12 June.     I put these on Pittosporum tenuifolium hosts and by November they had all disappeared.

So when you are next out there keep a look out for mistletoes.     I recommend John’s book Mistletoes in Wellington Conservancy, available from the Department of Conservation.

Ken Wright, Biosecurity Officer – Animals, Greater Wellington – the Regional Council, Upper Hutt.

 October 2001 – Native mistletoes in Wellington

The Department of Conservation has published a fact sheet (free) and a booklet (price $20) describing the eight native mistletoe species that occur in Wellington Conservancy.

The booklet includes illustrations and photographs of each species, and distribution maps.   It describes threats to mistletoes and conservation management activities required for their protection.   The species included are beech mistletoes (Peraxilla tetrapetala, P. colensoi and Alepis flavida), lowland leafy mistletoes (Ileostylus micranthus and Tupeia antarctica) and the three leafless mistletoes (Korthalsella clavata, K. lindsayi and K. salicornioides).

The booklet will be used to raise awareness of mistletoe conservation and to improve understanding of mistletoe ecology and biogeography.   The fact sheet is being sent to people interested in learning more about native mistletoes.

For more information contact:   John Sawyer, Biodiversity Conservation Officer, Wellington Conservancy Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 5086, Wellington.   Tel: 04 470 8427, E-mail: jsawyer@doc.govt.nz