Tupeia antarctica
Common names
Tāpia, pirita, white mistletoe, tupia, kohuorangi
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Rounded shrub to 1m wide growing on other trees with white bark, finely hairy rounded twigs (lens needed), fleshy variously-shaped bright green leaves and whiteish to pinkish fruit. Leaves 10-70mm long. Flowers tiny.
Flower colours
Green, Yellow
Detailed description
A shrubby semi-parasite to 1 m diameter. Leaves are oppositely arranged, variable in shape, 10 to 70 by 10 to 40 mm, slightly fleshy and bright green. Stems are always rounded in cross section near the tips, have pale white to grey bark, and downy or hairy branchlets. Flowers are tiny, greenish-yellow. Fruit are fleshy, white to pink, 5 to 7 mm diameter.
Similar taxa
Peraxilla colensoi, P. tetrapetala and Trilepidea adamsii all have colourful flowers. Ileostylus micranthus has tiny, yellow-green flowers, a ‘bent’ style, yellow fruit and young stems that are squarish in cross-section and have multiple attachments to its host. All these species are hairless.
Distribution
Endemic to the North and South Islands.
Habitat
Forest or scrub (often in regenerating vegetation), where it is parasitic on a wide range of hosts including tarata, karo, Coprosma species, putaputaweta, fivefinger, white maire and broom.
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2023 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: CD, PD
Threats
Possum browse is the primary threat to this species. Insect browse, habitat destruction, loss of pollinating and seed-dispersing native birds, collectors, vandalism and fungal disease also threaten this species.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
Viscum antarcticum G.Forst., V. pubigerum A.Cunn., Tupeia cunninghamii Miq. T. pubigera Miq.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
Yes
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
Flowers from October to December.
Fruiting
Fruit appear from December to March.
Propagation technique
Difficult. Has been grown successfully by some people but many others have failed. Best success is achieved with seed that has been sown fresh (within one to two days of harvesting) onto a suitable host.
Other information
Notes on habitat and host range
This species will on occasion extend into beech forest where it has been found parasitic on red mistletoe (Peraxilla tetrapetala). Favoured indigenous hosts include Pseudopanax arboreus, Carpodetus serratus, Nestegis cunninghamii, Pittosporum eugenoides, P. tenuifolium, and Coprosma spp. At present the species has been recorded from 48 hosts (11 exotic) spread through 32 genera and 20 families (de Lange et al. 1997), though this figure needs revision as since that time many more hosts have been reported.
Etymology
tupeia: Named after Tupaia (c. 1725 – December, 26 1770) who was a Tahitian Polynesian navigator and arioi (a kind of priest), originally from the island of Ra’iatea in the Pacific Islands (see Chamisso & Schlechtendal, 1828).
antarctica: Antarctic
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
TUPANT
Chromosome number
2n = 24
Previous conservation statuses
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: PD
2012 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: CD
2009 | At Risk – Declining | Qualifiers: CD
2004 | Gradual Decline
Regional conservation statuses
The regional threat classification system leverages off the national assessments in the NZTCS, providing information relevant for the regional context. Otago conservation status information is sourced from the “Regional conservation status of indigenous vascular plants in Otago” Jarvie S et al. (2024) report.
Otago: 2024 | Threatened – Regionally Vulnerable | Qualifiers: DPS, DPT, NR, NStr, PF, Sp
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Chamisso, L.K.A.; Schlechtendal, D.F.L. 1828: Lorantheae pp. 203-204. Linnaea 3(3): 200-219.
de Lange, P.J.; Norton, D.A.; Molloy, B.P.J. 1997: An annotated checklist of New Zealand mistletoe (Loranthaceae) hosts. Pp. 83-104. In: de Lange P.J.; Norton, D.A. (eds.) New Zealand’s loranthaceous mistletoes. Conference proceedings. Wellington, Department of Conservation.
Attribution
Fact sheet prepared by P.J. de Lange for NZPCN (1 June 2013)
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Tupeia antarctica Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/tupeia-antarctica/ (Date website was queried)