University of Otago associate professor of botany Janice Lord was in the depths of her 20ha Kuri Bush property earlier this month when she discovered Tupeia antarctica, or native white mistletoe, growing on a lacebark tree.
"Initially I walked past it and thought ‘what the heck is that?’.
"They’re a lot less well known than the bright red native mistletoe you see on the beech trees."
One of the reasons the plants had become so rare was that they were a favourite food of possums, she said.
"Common green ones [are] not so palatable."
The fact there was a healthy plant growing indicated her "small war" against possums was paying off, she said.
Prof Lord and her partner trapped and shot possums, and she hoped to eventually rid the mammal from her property. If the plant had come back around the city it would be a good indicator possum numbers were down, she said.
"If there were good possum numbers those plants would be nibbled right back to the bases."
She urged people in the Dunedin area to keep a lookout for the plant in their own gardens.
The plant would create a lump on a host tree, such as a native lacebark or ribbonwood, and have distinctive white stems, she said.
Prof Lord said she and her partner were trying to make the native forest on their property a QEII National Trust covenant.
As for kissing under the native mistletoe, Prof Lord said she should take her partner up there, as she only found the plant when he was clearing weeds.
"He did a great job, so deserves a kiss."