University of Otago student Zoe Lunniss, who is nearing completion of her master’s thesis, said change was needed to conserve the Tupeia antarctica species.
It did not quite look like it should in the Dunedin Town Belt, because of possums grazing and a lack of light beneath the canopy, she said.
Miss Lunniss has studied growths of the parasite on host trees and placed collars on the trees to hinder possum access.
The mistletoe growths were still not fruiting, however. They were alive but not flourishing.
Otago was once a stronghold for the species but the region was down to three populations, she said.
The others were at Tavora Reserve, near Palmerston, and in the Catlins.
Miss Lunniss has a bachelor of science degree and has run experiments and examined Tupeia antarctica closely for almost two years.
One curious characteristic was that it grew on different hosts, depending on their location, she said.
"It’s cool to have it here in the Town Belt. It’s really rare.
"Something needs to happen now, for the conservation of the species."
- Grant Miller
