New Zealand Alpine Flora

[Booker]

Welcome to the NARGS Forum, David ... your contributions will be eagerly and regularly sought.

[David L]

Thanks Cliff, I have several hundred photos taken over the past couple of months to catalogue before I consider posting  but in the meantime Steve and Dave seem to be doing an admirable job showing the NZ flora on the forum.

[McDonough]

Hello David, welcome to NARGS Forum, I recognized your name instantly from SRGC Forum when I saw the registration request awaiting approval :-)

I'll second the endorsement of what a fine job Steve and Dave are doing posting so many images of remarkable NZ native flora and scenery. I keep revisiting these pages to get my fill of astounding Ranunculus species, Celmisias, Raoulias, Aciphylla, and other diverse (even strange, in the case of Melicytus) genera.

[David L]

Hello Mark, Thanks for the welcome; I will try an experimental posting.

Here are some pictures of Myosotis pulvinaris taken on the Old Man Range in December. This a small cushion species that grows on bare, very exposed sites on the crest of the range.

       

Some plants flower so profusely the foliage is entirely hiddden.

     

A close up shows the detail of the flowers and the hairs on the leaves. Note the anthers are  more or less below the level of the corolla scales in this species.

     

[Hoy]

Beautiful - and very different from all Myosotis here!

[McDonough]

A true jewel that Myosotis is, the quintessential alpine cushion. This topic has shown quite a variety of stunning Myosotis species, it seems NZ is a hub of diversity for the genus (particularly thinking back on Myosotis arnoldii).
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=374.msg21134#msg21134).

[cohan]

Another NZ native with awesome foliage!

[Booker]

Just arrived from New Zealand (many thanks Steve), a copy of the WONDERFUL 'Above the Treeline' (A nature guide to alpine New Zealand) by Alan F. Mark.

This magnificent field guide to New Zealand's rich and diverse alpine environment features 472 pages, more than 1150 colour photographs, two maps and includes detailed descriptions of more than 675 species of flowering plants.

The ISBN is 978-1-877517-76-1 and it is published by Craig Potton Publishing.  The superb images include contributions by forum members, Steve Newall, David Lyttle, Doug Logan, Dave Toole and many others.

Thoroughly recommended (even if the recommendation happens to come from a New Zealand plant devotee).

[Hoy]

Another NZ native with awesome folios

[David L]

Hello Cliff,

As one of the 68 photographers who contributed to the book I am pleased you liked it. It was certainly a dedicated effort fom Alan and from Jane Conner the publishing editor as well as many other people who assisted in the production of the book. There are a few errors as would be expected in a project of this size and complexity.  Poor Doug has become Dave Logan so I hope he can reclaim his name at some stage.

The aim of the book was to update Mark and Adams New Zealand Alpine Plants. This has been done with the text more or less following rhe original but including chapters on lichens (David Galloway), birds (Rod Morris), fungi (David Orlovich), invertebrates (Brian Patrick), mosses (John Steel) and lizards (Mandy Tocher). The aim of the book is to be comprehensive with respect to the vascular plants that grow above the treeline. It excludes taxa that have not been formally described and a few others that seem to have fallen off the list.

I am interested to see what the response to the book will be and am awaiting publication of the reviews: Alan has been interviewed by the Otago Daily Times and by National Radio
http://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/magazine/244398/elevating-alpine http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/20130207

[Booker]

Hi David,
The book is, quite simply, excellent.  An alpine friend of mine from the U.K. is touring South Island at the time of writing and e-mailed me specifically to recommend the book to me (he was suitably impressed that a copy was on it's way to me as we 'spoke'). LOL.

My apologies to poor Doug ... I should have noticed.

Congratulations to everyone involved on such a tremendous achievement.

[Toole]

I consider the book is a very reasonable price too ,at NZ $49.95 and as this thread has been viewed just over 10,000 times....Hope the publishers have a few copies available .
 

Welcome to the Forum Mr Lyttle.

Cheers Dave.

[cohan]

Another NZ native with awesome folios

lol

Seems like a great book- I could only wish for something similar locally!

[Hoy]

Another NZ native with awesome folios

lol

Seems like a great book- I could only wish for something similar locally!

I have ordered one today
We have many books in Norwegian covering different aspects of mountain life - both flora and fauna - but it is always interesting to read about other parts of the world too!

[Booker]

Another NZ native with awesome folios

lol

Seems like a great book- I could only wish for something similar locally!

I have ordered one today
We have many books in Norwegian covering different aspects of mountain life - both flora and fauna - but it is always interesting to read about other parts of the world too!

You won't regret it, Trond ... it really is an excellent book.