XVI International Botanical Congess

The mistletoes in Taiwan highly diversified, and the hosts species are also highly varied, ranging from gymnosperms, angiosperms, trees, shrubs and lianas, to even other mistletoes. Due to the close relationship between the dispersal of mistletoes and the diet of flowerpeckers, the distribution and the phenology of mistletoes are mutually affected. For example, Taxillus tsaii Chiu and T. rhododendricolus (Hayata) Danser. at different altitude flowers and bears fruits in varied periods. Two major dispersal agents appear in different seasons. Whether developing primary leaves as seed germination coincide with the invasion to the host bark also varied. It is suggested that the phenology, the dispersal and the seed germination in the life cycle of mistletoes are diverse because they have adapted to the different ecosystems with varying temperatures and lengths of the growing seasons.