There are some reports of explosive seed dispersal in Korthalsella (Dawson, 1986; Herbst, 1980; Ohwi, 1965; Sahni, 1933). Stevenson (1934) also indicated the weakly explosive nature of fruits: “swelling of mucilaginous tissue develops weak internal pressure, thus the seed forced out through the ruptured tip of the fruit, falls nearby, often infecting the mother plant”. The occurrence of Korthalsella on remote oceanic islands is indicative of a putative bird mediated dispersal whereby sticky seeds adhered to plumage of migratory birds perching on trees infected with mistletoes (Burrows 1996; Carlquist 1967 and Barlow 2008).
For more information about dispersal of Korthalsellasee*:
- Barlow, B. A. 2008. Mistletoe dispersal: the special case of Korthalsella. Australian National Herbarium, Australian National Botanic Gardens.
- Burrows, C. 1996. Dispersal of KorthalsellaSeeds. Canterbury Botanical Society Journal. Vol. 31: 69-70.
- Carlquist, S. 1967. The biota of long-distance dispersal. V. Plant dispersal to Pacific Islands. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, Vol. 94 (3): 129-162.
- Dawson, J. W. 1986. The Vines, Epiphytes and Parasites of New Zealand Forests. Tuatara 28 (2):43 - 69.
- Herbst, D. 1980. Miscellaneous Notes on the Hawaiian Flora. I. Phytologia 45: 67-81.
- Ohwi, J. 1965. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, Washington.
- Molvray, M., Kores, P. J. and Chase, M. W. 1999. Phylogenetic relationships within Korthalsella(Viscaceae) based on nuclear ITS and plastid trnL-F sequence data. Am. J. Bot. 86:249-260.
- Sahni, B. 1933. Explosive Fruits of Viscum japonicum Thunb. Jour. Indian Bot. Sci, 12(2), 96-101.
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