New Zealand Alpine Flora

[Hoy]

There is also a helicopter base near Mt.Cook should you wish to try this most excellent way of ascending a hill

A bit difficult to spot plants from a helicopter? 

[Toole]

Seeing Dougs wonderful pics on the SRGC and yours here brings me to tears Steve    

I so wish now that i had traveled up with guys ....

Anyway i managed a visit recently ,a couple hours up the road to the Rastus Burn Conservation Area –Remarkables Range near Lake Wakatipu ,Central Otago.

I was surprised on how much snow was still about however I managed to spend a number of hours searching around on the lower slopes, although I was bit early for a number of genera .

The forecast for the next few days is for this warm spell to end and snow is expected down to about 1000 mtrs so it looks like it will be a later visit to view gems higher up on the shady slopes…..

Apologies on the clarity of some of the pics –I was ‘playing around ‘with different shooting modes and lenses.

Aciphylla simplex on fellfield near Lake Alta.

[Toole]

Hard grey growths of Chionohebe thomsonii in cushion field , along with Myosotis pulvinaris in full bloom and Hectorella caespitosa needing a day or two….. .

In wet areas Ranunculus ensyii  --a smaller species by NZ standards but a mass of yellow everywhere. The plants that had leaves with red margins being the most attractive.

[Toole]

The predominate cushion here is Dracophyllum muscoides that form large moss like
  mats .

In amongst the snow tussock grassland the vivid colouring of Aciphylla kirkii.

In a cool spot the creeping caterpillar like growths of one of the smaller mountain foxgloves, Ourisia glandulosa .

Acaena saccaticupula with a nice colour combination of red lichen on the base of the rock.

Further down the access road Aciphylla aurea.

Final view back up the road to the Remarkables .

Cheers Dave.

[Hoy]

Not a bad trip Dave! What altitude is it?
Cushion plants are remarkable - we have none here, the nearest would probably be the moss campion Silene acaulis.
Aciphylla is an interesting genus and so is Ourisia In fact, they're all interesting. Even the familiar genera look very exotic!

[Michael J Campbell]

Dave, what is that blue thing with the white fluffy stuff behind the hill in the last picture? We don't have anything like that here 

[Hoy]

Dave, what is that blue thing with the white fluffy stuff behind the hill in the last picture? We don't have anything like that here 

Michael, don't boast! I'm sure that you have more of it than I have

[Booker]

Another magnificent report, Dave ... many thanks once again.

[Toole]

Not a bad trip Dave! What altitude is it?

Hello Hoy --I park my motorbike at the carpark at 1600m and it's a gradual climb up to Lake Alta at about 1800m.

Dave, what is that blue thing with the white fluffy stuff behind the hill in the last picture? We don't have anything like that here  

Didn't see any of that this morning as i spent 2 hours on the mountain bike.Actually i found pedaling in the rain today quite exhilarating ......(I know I'm not well ! ).

Another magnificent report, Dave ... many thanks once again.

Thanks Cliff
Looking forward to your visit out here next year Bud. (See comment to Michael just above --I've started training already   ).

Cheers Dave.

[cohan]

Wow as always
Steve- So many great whites--Astelia graminea, Craspedia lanata, , Anaphalioides bellidioides and the Myosotis!!
I always assume NZ plants would not be hardy here, but have recently seen a couple of alpines listed as z4, which starts to get within the realm of possibility, at least   

Dave- love the Acaena's overall red, and more great Aciphyllas- would love to grow one of those

[Jandals]

I always assume NZ plants would not be hardy here, but have recently seen a couple of alpines listed as z4, which starts to get within the realm of possibility, at least

I remember reading about a woman growing Raoulia australis in Ontario where it survived -35C . In continental Europe I saw some expats growing outside happily and like the Raoulia australis , they were all riverbed plants .

Raoulia australis , R.haastii , Muehlenbeckia axillaris , Geranium sessiliflorum nigricans and Acaena inermis are some that I remember . They all like to be in the mountains but on the valley floor . Summer temps are hot - high 30's and winter temps are cold - -15 to -20 , with minimal snow cover . They have to cope with dry periods whilst growing in gravel and it can be very windy so they have to be tough .If you want to try some from seed let me know and I will pick some for you and send it fresh .

The original seed collection for the Celmisia Inshriach hybrids was the Gertrude Valley , where there are also weather extremes with unreliable snow cover , and these hybrids have done very well in Scotland .

Although I have been often asked to collect seed at the highest altitudes to optimise hardiness I think anything that grows on the valley floor will be hardier than something high on the hill that is buried under snow all winter and where the temperature is always near 0C at ground level . 

Our buttercups would probably survive your winter (they go dormant ) but your summers would be too hot and dry

[Lori S.]

Wrightman's Alpines in Ontario sells Raoulia glabra, for one.

Our buttercups would probably survive your winter (they go dormant ) but your summers would be too hot and dry

Well, dry-ish, yes.  Hot, no.  If you ever visit, be sure to bring your woolies!   

[Toole]

Wow as always
Steve- So many great whites--Astelia graminea, Craspedia lanata, , Anaphalioides bellidioides and the Myosotis!!
I always assume NZ plants would not be hardy here, but have recently seen a couple of alpines listed as z4, which starts to get within the realm of possibility, at least  

Dave- love the Acaena's overall red, and more great Aciphyllas- would love to grow one of those

Thanks Cohan
Yes i thought Steve's white Astelia to be a beauty too .

Here's some pics of a trip i made just over a week ago, down to the coastal area of Omaui ,a few kilometres south of where i live.

I wasn't alone --i took 'Monty' ,(12 months old),along for his first real field trip .I was bit concerned on what would happen if he came face to face with a NZ sea lion as i had seen some tell tale tracks last year ,however the only 'incident' was the hound trying to catch up with a rabbit.

Anyway onto the plants ....

Raoulia hookeri var hookeri with the still waters of Foveaux Strait in the background.(It has a nice silver look to it Lori).

Coastal bind weed Calystegia soldanella poking out from it's house.

It's a great year for flowering of the ground covering Samolus repens--- a lovely little thing when you get up close --- 2 pics of close ups.

Worked all weekend as we have a UK visitor ,Norman Thomas, staying with us from tomorrow for the next few days---- so if the weather holds ,moisture wise,we hope to head away looking at Celmisia's and a few other weeds .
Thankfully the temps are forecast to be at least 10c cooler than the 30c plus conditions we had yesterday.

Cheers Dave.

[Hoy]

Samolus repens is quite nice! And completely unknown to me . . . . At my summerhouse Calystegia sepium is the coastal bindweed and have spread to gardens as the ultimate weed! Raoulia is also a decorative plant to my liking!

[Jandals]

Nice Dave . Pleased Monty behaved himself and I bet he had a great time . I see that the horizontal rain that usually accompanies me to Omaui was missing

Well, dry-ish, yes.  Hot, no.  If you ever visit, be sure to bring your woolies!   

Wil take my woolie hat with me just in case I head north across the border .
Maybe Ranunculus crithmifolius might grow at your place