New Zealand Alpine Flora

[Booker]

Hi Dave,
Wonderful images and plants (as usual), especially that tremendous Myosotis (worth three 'Wows').  Look after Harry and Hannie and Bob and Rannveig for us, enjoy the conference ... and you know the saying; "Keep on posting, please"?

[Jandals]

We will look after them Cliff . Just tried ringing Dave but couldn't contact him . Last I heard he was on the improve and should be right for this weekend . I am going to miss Harry's opening lecture tomorrow night but I saw it on his computer and it was very impressive . I'm going to post the Gertrude Saddle pictures now and Mt.Burns tomorrow .

Morning tea break part way up the hill . Dave did very well to make it this far but had to turn back from here



Ranunculus sericophyllus





Ranunculus buchananii x sericophyllus . I have seen the lemon coloured version before but this is the first cream coloured hybrid I have seen





Celmisia bonplandii



Celmisia hectori



Celmisia verbascifolia

[Jandals]

Harry Jans



Raoulia grandiflora growing in R.buchananii



Celmisia durietzii



Aciphylla congesta



Aciphylla multisecta



Dolichoglottis lyalli x scorzonerioides



Polystichum cystotegia

[Toole]

Body is still a bit sore --bad  burn on the inside of the right calf where my leg lay against the motorbike's exhaust ,(I was wearing shorts  )--some damage to the inside of the left knee that was trapped under the bike.
Slowly coming right.Thanks for asking.

Mark -- NZ Gentian were reclassified as Gentianella.I'm not sure when.

As an aside I'll show a photo or two of the new alpine book 'Above the Tree Line ' which has just been published when i get time next week --it's a beauty   ,as I'm away early tomorrow to travel all day up to Christchurch to attend the NZAGS Discussion Weekend.

Hoy ,Cohan I have a friend registering on the Forum in the next day or two.
He has successfully raised Melicytus from seed ,(I've never bothered ), so he will be able to answer your questions.
He also gets around in the hills down here so hopefully he'll show pics as well.

Now just going to view Steve's photo's and see what i missed  

Cheers Dave.

[Booker]

Magnificent photos, Steve ... you always find such stunning drool-inducing buttercups.  (By the way, did the book arrive safe and sound)?

Glad to hear you are on the mend, Dave ... enjoy the study weekend and give our kindest regards to all our assembled buddies please.

[cohan]

Steve- great stuff- love the two Raoulias- such awesome foliage- how big would that view be?
Cool to see the fern standing proudly in the sun too.

Dave- good to hear you are getting better...

[Jandals]

Book arrived today Cliff . Thanks heaps . Yours is in the return post .
Sunday was a trip up Mt.Burns in beautiful weather . I think all of New Zealand has been enjoying sunny , settled weather for a week now . In fact the Southland Times had a front page headline about the 7 days ( at least ) of fine weather forecast so everyone has been getting a little excited . I reckon it's all down to Murphy's Law - school goes back and the sun comes out .

Celmisia holosericea



Celmisia coriacea



Drosera arcturi



Leucogenes grandiceps





Dolichoglottis lyalli x scorzonerioides



Aciphylla pinnatifida



Aciphylla crosby-smithii . Although it is a good flowering year for all the Aciphylla species I've seen , we only saw 2 plants of this species flowering



Hebe hectori

[Jandals]

Hi Cohan - as you have correctly guessed the Raoulia grandiflora is on a small plant . Leaves are about half and inch across .

The last pictures are the buttercups , which were the main reason for going to Mt.Burns and the timing was perfect

Ranunculus lyallii





and Ranunculus buchananii

[Gordon]

Great photos! I've been growing more interested in the genus Hebe (it would have to happen now that I'm in Nova Scotia, and not southwestern British Columbia!). Two plants have been growing quite well in the garden, though this winter will really put them to the test: Hebe odora (syn Hebe buxifolia), and Hebe pinguifolia var. pagei, have been in the ground for a couple of years now, and both bloomed for the first time last summer. Fondly remember Hebe 'Amy', H. 'Quicksilver', and some of the other whipcord form plants from my days out west. Would love to test a few of the whipcord species here, but have no idea which ones to hunt for (almost none are available in the local nursery trade). Any suggestions of plants to try for cold tolerance would be welcome.

[cohan]

Thanks, Steve.
More great foliage- C coriacea is interesting- is it as stiff as it looks?

[Booker]

Glorious buttercups yet again ... many thanks, Steve.  Glad the book arrived safely and many thanks for sending the other.  Speak soon no doubt?  Enjoy the Study Weekend.

[David L]

I have tried to sow the shrubby violet Melicytus twice but never achieved germination. Any advice?

Dave Toole requested that I answer this question so I have just gone through the process of signing up to this forum. Melicytus alpinus is quite a complex entity comprising up to about 20 different forms All forms can be grown from cuttings or from seed. However seed takes a year to germinate, (virtually to the day!) For anyone who is interested here is a link to a presentation on some of the work done by myself and my colleagues from the University of Otago on the Melicytus alpinus complex given at the Southern Connections Confernce here in Dunedin last week. It may be too much information for some!

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/79474488/Orlovich_Southern_Radiations_NEW.pptx

(Moderator: to help gauge download time, the PPTX file is 30.7 MB in size)

[Tim Ingram]

Magical pictures! There just has to be a Natural History programme made about these plants sometime. I wonder how many gardeners have any idea how beautiful these mountain buttercups are?

[Hoy]

I have tried to sow the shrubby violet Melicytus twice but never achieved germination. Any advice?

Dave Toole requested that I answer this question so I have just gone through the process of signing up to this forum. Melicytus alpinus is quite a complex entity comprising up to about 20 different forms All forms can be grown from cuttings or from seed. However seed takes a year to germinate, (virtually to the day!) For anyone who is interested here is a link to a presentation on some of the work done by myself and my colleagues from the University of Otago on the Melicytus alpinus complex given at the Southern Connections Confernce here in Dunedin last week. It may be too much information for some!

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/79474488/Orlovich_Southern_Radiations_NEW.pptx

Thank you David! I read through your presentation with great interest! Didn't know that this genus consisted of so many forms.
Had been interesting to try cuttings but that isn't easy to get hold of!

[Hoy]

Dave and Steve, thank you for the photos. They are great!