Miro (Prumnopitys ferruginea)

Miro (Prumnopitys ferruginea)

Miro is a common tree in our forests. Once known as Podocarpus ferrugineus,  it, as well as it’s close cousin Matai has been re classified to genus Prumnopitys. We have relitively very few mature Matai and only along the North & North East coast of Stewart Island, indicating the Island is a bit far south of its preferred range.

Yesterday I was over at Mill Creek attempting to photograph the resident whitefaced heron and kingfishers and noticed a small Miro across the stream in heavy fruit. Generally as a canopy species the fruit are not particularly visible and so this display is quite spectacular.

Miro in Fruit

Miro in Fruit

Food Source

Miro is an important food source at least two of our bird species, including Pigeon (Kukupa)  and Kaka. The fruit, which I would describe as “cherries” rather than “berries”are small with a relatively large stone inside. They ripen to a rich red colour in early winter, a time when there is little in the way of fruit food available.

Unripe and Ripe Miro Cherries

Unripe and Ripe Miro Cherries

Kaka

Kaka seem to be disinterested in the flesh, which has a strong, and to me pleasant resinous smell but tastes awful. However they will split the stone within to get at the kernel, even in late summer when the fruit is quite green. The stone is exceptionally hard and gives testimony to the strength of the Kaka’s beak and it’s dexterity in being able to hold such a small fruit while splitting it.

Split Miro Cherry

Split Miro Cherry showing the inner kernel.

Pigeons

Pigeons on the other hand seem to relish the fruit, which they target once ripe.

Although we have significant numbers of Miro in our lowland forests, and judging by the fruit fall a large amount of available food for pigeons, most of them migrate to the South Island for our winter. As our winter climate here is warmer than the mainland and bearing in mind the availability of a significant food resource in the Miro I can only conclude that there is something else that pigeons require that is missing here in winter.

 

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Mistletoe

Mistletoe (Ileostylus micranthus)

Our local green mistletoe is quite common in our garden with around a dozen plants, but less so on Ulva where there are only two specimens on the paths I normally walk. One is on   a Halls Totara (Podocarpus hallii ), the other on Inaka (Dracophyllum longifolium)

Mistletoe in fruit

Mistletoe in fruit

However in our garden it appears to be happy on various Rhododendrum species, although the largest are both on wineberry trees.

Various books tell me this is to be expected as it prefers forest edges and high light areas, with totara, coprosma and wineberry favoured hosts. One plant is in our entrance, and the guests actually have to walk around it. So I point it out to them as mistletoe, in case any are feeling frisky 

Parasite

Mistletoe are of course parasitic and although the leaves do photosynthesize they rely on the host for water and nutrients, with adapted roots penetrating the bark into the cambium layer of the host.

Mistletoe Flowers

The flowers are very small and green, actually quite insignificant. and appear in October generally.

They are in heavy fruit at this time of year and I have just taped a handful of the small yellow and very stick fruit to several garden shrubs, as I have often wondered just how the  plant attaches itself. As I mentioned the fruit themselves are quite sticky and although I have never seen birds eat them Iris has. Or rather taken a fruit and then spat it out. This intrigued me as I then had to wonder just how the seeds get spread. The fruit is to my taste actually a little sweet, but I suppose that the stickyness  might well be a repellent. But having watched birds clean their beaks by wiping them on any handy twig I can only suppose the fruit get spread this way.

Experiment

Mistletoe seed attached to a tree

Mistletoe seed attached to a tree

I have been meaning to attache some seeds to a few trial trees to see just what happened and if they would germinate. So to that end today I sellotaped several seeds to assorted garden shrubs. I used sellotape so the seeds would be exposed to light, and also so that water would seep in and out. Then I realised that the stickyness would on it’s own hold the seeds on, after all the plant had worked all this out long ago. So now I have both taped and untaped seeds to watch.

I’ll keep you posted !!!

 

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