The distribution and population structure of the temperate mistletoe lleostylus micranthus in the Northern Cemetery, Dunedin, New Zealand

The endemic mistletoe, Ileostylus micrunrhus , growing in the Northern Cemetery (Dunedin, New Zealand), was examined with respect to both its OCCUrrenCe on different host species and its distribution on the trunk and within the canopy of its hosts. Only 3.5% of trees were infected and the mistletoe was absent from hosts with trunk diameters of more than 70 cm. The most frequently infected hosts were Erica Iiisitanica, Betula pendiifa , and Pittosporum tenuifofium. Larger hosts generally supported mOre mistletoe infections than smaller hosts. Most individual infections were small or medium‐sized. Mistletoe plants were distributed throughout the canopy of infected hosts but were least frequent on the trunk and most frequent in the middle and lower thirds of the canopy. Large mistletoes tended to be found more frequently on the outer parts of the canopy and on the trunk than juvenile, small, and medium‐sized mistletoes.