New Zealand Alpine Flora

[Toole]

Thanks a lot guys    You two will keep!!

Cheers dave

[McDonough]

Dave, I love seeing your NZ plants in either location, here on NARGS and on SRGC, thanks for bringing them here. I've been a long time fan of the weird and wondrous flora of both New Zealand and Australia, and I use the term "weird" in the most complimentary way, as the flora is so different and unique, that in many cases even the family the plants belong to are utterly unique.  But I'm a  huge fan.

A case in point, Stellaria roughii, where one must discard any notion about what a Stellaria looks like, why... because this one from New Zealand is doing a fair impression of Rosularia or an Orostachys.  Cool plant.

And there are so many awesome hard-domed cushions, like Donatia and Hectorella that you show.  I want to visit New Zealand, just so that I can try walking on one of these cushions, where supposedly the cushion will hold firm and not depress under foot!  And to be in a place where the Apiaceae have run amuk, that's a dream to be sure, with the likes of mystical hedgehog Aciphylla species, with separate sexes no less, the fluffy males being the best, and bold Anistome species show their form, not shy in the least.

Celmisia is a genus that has always attracted me, from tight hummock-forming species to the larger imposing species you show, the latter impress me the most, such as verbascifolia (yum), semicordata, and the dramatic traversii with that indumentum.

I've grown a few NZ Ranunculus in my day, and when I lived in the Seattle Washington area, the genus Hebe figured prominently among low evergreen shrubs for the area, I wish they were hardier here in New England.

[Toole]

Thanks Mark for your kind comments .

I know what you mean regarding different flora -- -- thinking Cacti are plants of true deserts i still have trouble getting my head around them growing in the wild in an alpine setting and recently RickR has shown Opuntia growing on the prairie land of Western Minnesota. I still have a lot to learn  

Saw some nice gems while out and about yesterday --seems most Genera are either in or going to bloom this season.

I came across 3 variations of Celmisia linearis, the best being this little honey   even my wife Hilda ,who is not a plants person at all ,raised her eyebrows upon viewing the shots  




Celmisia semicordata ssp stricta taken in an 'interesting' position --my right hand was hanging onto a clump of snowgrass while i arched my body away from the slope and took ,(after many attempts),the pic with my left hand .....


Aciphylla aurea with a view.


On the lower slopes on a tor ,Dolichoglottis lyallii


and surrounded by moss ,Celmisia densiflora


Cheers dave.

[Hoy]

I am impressed, Dave, the plants look awesome! C. linearis is something to try in the garden!
But be careful not to fall when you take your pictures.
I was wondering about the whitish mossy or lichenlike vegetation surrounding the plants. Is the ground dryish and lacking nutrients?

[Booker]

Another superb set of images, Dave.

[Toole]

Thanks Cliff.

I was wondering about the whitish mossy or lichenlike vegetation surrounding the plants. Is the ground dryish and lacking nutrients?

Trond
While that particular area in Northern Southland is made up of ultrabasic rock ,(lacking in some nutrients),the Celmisia densiflora i 'posted' appeared to be growing well.

Not so the following pic ,which was taken in heavy fog ,early this year in Fiordland.You can see very poor stunted specimens of Celmisia verbascifolia surrounded by lichen like vegetation and yet only a short distance away Chionochloa sps ,(snow tussocks), are thriving.

[Hoy]

Thanks Cliff.

I was wondering about the whitish mossy or lichenlike vegetation surrounding the plants. Is the ground dryish and lacking nutrients?

Trond
While that particular area in Northern Southland is made up of ultrabasic rock ,(lacking in some nutrients),the Celmisia densiflora i 'posted' appeared to be growing well.

Not so the following pic ,which was taken in heavy fog ,early this year in Fiordland.You can see very poor stunted specimens of Celmisia verbascifolia surrounded by lichen like vegetation and yet only a short distance away Chionochloa sps ,(snow tussocks), are thriving.

Thanks! You say stunted specimens of Celmisia, I would have been happy to grow any Celmisia! So far all I have tried have succumbed to death in after a year or two.

[Hoy]

Dave, a few years ago I was only aware of a couple of Aciphyllas and Celmisias. Now you have opened my eyes to a much richer world of plants! And also many other plants I didn't know exist.
I once grew a very nice Aciphylla for several years, I've forgotten the species' name - seed from Thompson & Morgan - but suddenly it succumbed to rot. I was very disappointed
Is it possible to ask, if you come across some seeds on your wanderings in the mountains, to collect some for me?

[Toole]

Last lot from yesterday

On depleted vegetative ridges ..

A lovely small Aciphylla sps which i haven't yet identified.


Brachyglottis bellidioides can be quite variable --this one is a dark green leafed form .


Craspedia lanata ,( it's common name is most appropriate --"woolly head"  ), can either have yellow or white flowers.


Another snow melt plant --Ranunculus pachyrrhizus  -not the typical big colourful NZ Ranunculus sps    but a gem all the same.


Dracophyllum prostratum and Euphrasia revoluta prefer damp spongy sphagnum bogs.




Bulbinella angustifolia grows in profusion close to the bogs.


Astelia nivicola forms silvery bronze clumps some reaching over a metre in width .
Another 'good doer' in the garden here quickly bulking up , however in the wild i've never seen it in berry and my plants never set fruit .


Fields of Celmisia verbascifolia.

 
Finally Celmisa prorepens is very close to Celmisia densiflora,(which i've shown pictures of on previous postings ).The main differences being C.prorepens is green on both sides of it's leaves which are very sticky to the touch .Also C. prorepens tends to have quite wrinkly leaf margins.Where the two grow together all sorts of variations ? occur ,which leads to interesting discussions !! ;


Trond pleased you are enjoying the 'view'.

I do plan to be out in the field seed collecting time late Jan /Feb so will see what i can do.

In the meantime i have delayed my return to work for another week as the weather looks good for a 3 day visit over into Fiordland .....

Cheers dave.

 

[Toole]

Reposted as inadvertantly deleted when amending the post above.

A few more from a trip yesterday on the first day of the new year.

Celmisia lyallii is also known as the false spaniard,(false aciphylla)--you can see the similarities in the dagger like foliage.It doesn't flower reliably each season ,(seeming to have a number of continuous 'off' years),however currently the hills are full of blooming plants .




A small number of plants showed a yellow colouring to newly opened bud.



 
Scenery shot with a nice cloud formation.


Psychrophila obtusa numbers by the hundreds around snow banks.




Aciphylla lecomteii and visitor.
(will grow easily from cuttings and is a good performer in the garden here wedged into a rock crevice. --luckily i have only seen the Aciphylla weevel in the wild.....Later in the season, plants attacked can look very tatty.  




Cheers dave.

[Hoy]

I never tire looking at your pics, Dave!
But am I right when I believe new Zealand has few red and blue flowered plants? Think I once read something about that.

Trond pleased you are enjoying the 'view'.

I do plan to be out in the field seed collecting time late Jan /Feb so will see what i can do.

In the meantime i have delayed my return to work for another week as the weather looks good for a 3 day visit over into Fiordland .....

Cheers dave.

That is very kind of you, thanks Dave.
So you can delay starting to work! I have to start Monday! But I prefere longer holidays in summer. (I am living in the Fjordland you know!)

[Weiser]

Dave
Great presentation!
You Have shown us many fine alpines, I will be seeking out.
I particularly like the Euphrasia revoluta.
The gaping yellow throats all nested together is a delight to see.

Is Euphrasia revoluta classed as a member of Scrophulariaceae or Orobanchaceae? If it is in the Orobanchaceae family dose it have a specific host plant?

[Lori S.]

Thanks for the terrific postings, Dave!  Fabulous plants.  It seems such a different looking alpine terrain, as well, than what I am used to.  What sort of minimum temperature or zone rating would that area experience?  

The most amazing to me of the plants you posted is Psychrophila obtusa... incredible ratio of flower size to plant size!

[Toole]

Dave
Great presentation!
You Have shown us many fine alpines, I will be seeking out.
I particularly like the Euphrasia revoluta.
The gaping yellow throats all nested together is a delight to see.

Is Euphrasia revoluta classed as a member of Scrophulariaceae or Orobanchaceae? If it is in the Orobanchaceae family dose it have a specific host plant?

Thanks John --i believe Euphrasia is now in Orobanchaceae,(although my old reference material says  Scrophulariaceae ). Damn !! -i have enough trouble trying to keep up with name changes at a lower level ...

There are some wonderful NZ sps with different coloured flowers and growth patterns ---i have not tried to grow them myself so can't offer you any personal experience in that regard however my observations in the wild are that most prefer wet spots --bogs ,banks of streams and tend to be in the company of small sedges,grasses and maybe are semi parasitic on those .

Interestingly i have somewhere in my photo library a pic of a plant in Fiordland growing on an exposed bank all by itself a metre or two away from any vegetation.
I suspect they could be grown/seed sown in a pot with any small grass .

Thanks for the terrific postings, Dave!  Fabulous plants.  It seems such a different looking alpine terrain, as well, than what I am used to.  What sort of minimum temperature or zone rating would that area experience?  

The most amazing to me of the plants you posted is Psychrophila obtusa... incredible ratio of flower size to plant size!

Thanks Lori

This particular trip i've just posted was to a lower grassland mountain range .

I have managed to locate some facts and figures in relation to the mountain climate of that area --snow generally falls in early June and melts in early November.
Soil freezing may occur down to 50cm on exposed ridges where there is no snow cover.Air temp has been recorded as -18c.
Over a recorded 5 year period in summer the longest period without frost varied from 8 to 13 days....

Fiordland will be a different matter, more akin to what i see in your postings ,with a lot of rock ,screes and lofty peaks.

Cheers dave.

[Lori S.]

Thanks for the climate info, Dave.  How strange... an alpine area that is relatively warmer than ours (in terms of absolute lows), yet always so close to freezing, amazing!

After the wonderful plants and scenes in that area, we're all waiting eagerly to see Fiordland too!