Native plants natural to Banks Peninsula

Introduction

Learn about native plants of the Banks Peninsula area.

Download the publication

Native plants natural to Banks Peninsula (PDF, 94K)

Grown from seed collected from Mt Herbert, Port Hills and Akaroa Ecological Districts.

Almost all of Banks Peninsula was once covered in native forest. Exceptions were very steep, exposed sites, and areas too swampy to support trees.

This forest, the result of many millions of years of land formation and evolution, had the same or similar plants species 20,000 years ago as we find today in the remaining reserves and vegetation remnants. However, at least 15 species have been lost.

Most of this forest was felled or burned during the first 50 years of European occupation.

Today the remnants of this ancient forest reflect their stage of regeneration and site characteristics such as altitude, aspect, soil type and proximity to the coast: podocarps occur on fertile valley floors, podocarp/hardwood forest on lower slopes, mountain tōtara grows above 500 metres, coastal forest (including the warmth-demanding species like ngaio and nīkau palm) and open tussockland occur on drier, north-facing slopes.

A dozen tree and shrub species reach their natural southern limit on Banks Peninsula. Two shrubs (Hebe lavaudiana, Hebe strictissima) and one herb species (Celmisia mackaui) are unique to Banks Peninsula.

Planting the species represented in these gardens will eventually provide the shelter and canopy for the regeneration of other species, the habitat for native fauna and a seed source for natural regeneration.

Banks Peninsula lowland and mountain

Species name and common name

M = Banks Peninsula montane
RO = Banks Peninsula rock outcrops
T = threatened
R = rare
E = endemic to Banks Peninsula

  1. Acaena anserinifolia (RO)
  2. Acaena caesiglauca (RO)
  3. Aciphylla aurea (RO) taramea, golden Spaniard
  4. Aciphylla subflabellata (RO) kurikuri, spear grass
  5. Alectryon excelsus titoki, NZ ash
  6. Anemanthele lessoniana hunangāmoho, wind grass, bamboo grass
  7. Anisotome aromatica (RO) pinakitere
  8. Aristotelia fruticosa (RO) mountain wineberry
  9. Aristotelia serrata makomako, wineberry
  10. Arthropodium candidum (RO)
  11. Astelia fragrans (M) kakaha, bush lily
  12. Brachyglottis lagopus (RO)
  13. Brachyglottis sciadophila climbing groundsel
  14. Carex forsteri
  15. Carex geminata
  16. Carex solandri
  17. Carex uncinata hook sedge
  18. Carmichaelia australis
  19. Carmichaelia kirkii maukoro, scrambling broom (T)
  20. Carpodetus serratus putaputāwētā, marble leaf
  21. Celmisia gracilenta (RO)
  22. Celmisia mackaui (RO) (E) Akaroa daisy
  23. Chionochloa conspicua (M) hunangāmoho
  24. Chionochloa rigida (M)
  25. Clematis afoliata
  26. Clematis foetida
  27. Clematis marata
  28. Clematis paniculata
  29. Coprosma acerosa (RO)
  30. Coprosma areolata thin-leaved coprosma
  31. Coprosma crassifolia
  32. Coprosma linariifolia yellow wood
  33. Coprosma lucida
  34. Coprosma propinqua mingimingi
  35. Coprosma rhamnoides
  36. Coprosma rigida
  37. Coprosma robusta karamū
  38. Coprosma rotundifolia round-leaved coprosma
  39. Coprosma rubra (M)
  40. Coprosma sp. ‘Taylorii’
  41. Coprosma virescens
  42. Coprosma wallii (M) (T)
  43. Cordyline australis tī kōuka, cabbage tree
  44. Cordyline indivisa (M) (R) tī tōī, broad-leaved cabbage tree
  45. Coriaria arborea
  46. Corokia cotoneaster
  47. Dacrycarpus dacrydioides kahikatea, white pine
  48. Dianella nigra tūrutu, blueberry
  49. Discaria toumatou tūmatakuru, matagouri
  50. Dodonaea viscosa akeake
  51. Dracophyllum acerosum (M)
  52. Elaeocarpus hookerianus pōkākā
  53. Festuca actae (E) anks Peninsula blue tussock
  54. Festuca novae-zelandiae wī, fescue tussock
  55. Fuchsia excorticata kotukutuku, fuchsia
  56. Fuchsia perscandens (RO) (R) kotukutuku, climbing fuchsia
  57. Fuscospora fusca (M) tawhairaunui, red beech
  58. Fuscospora solandri (M) tawhairauriki, black beech
  59. Gaultheria antipoda (M)
  60. Gaultheria depressa (M)
  61. Geum parviflorum (RO)
  62. Gingidia enysii (RO) naupiro
  63. Gingidia montana (RO)
  64. Griselinia littoralis pāpāuma, broadleaf
  65. Gunnera monoica (RO)
  66. Hebe odora (RO) korokio, boxwood
  67. Hebe salicifolia koromiko
  68. Hebe strictissima (E) koromiko
  69. Hedycarya arborea pōporokaiwhiri, pigeonwood
  70. Helichrysum bellidioides (RO)
  71. Heliohebe lavaudiana (RO) (T) (E)
  72. Helychrysum lanceolatum niniao
  73. Hierochloe redolens kāretu, holy scented grass
  74. Hoheria angustifolia houhi puruhi, narrow-leaved lacebark
  75. Kunzea robusta kānuka
  76. Leptecophylla juniperina (M)
  77. Leptospermum scoparium mānuka, tea tree
  78. Leucopogon fasciculatus (M)
  79. Leucopogon fraseri (M)
  80. Libertia ixioides mikoikoi, New Zealand iris
  81. Libocedrus bidwillii (M) (R)
  82. Lobelia angulata (RO)
  83. Lophomyrtus obcordata rōhutu, NZ myrtle
  84. Luzula rufa (M)
  85. Macropiper excelsum kawakawa, pepper tree
  86. Melicope simplex poataniwha
  87. Melicytus micranthus
  88. Melicytus alpinus (RO) mountain māhoe, porcupine shrub
  89. Melicytus ramiflorus māhoe, whiteywood
  90. Metrosideros diffusa (RO)
  91. Myoporum laetum ngaio
  92. Myosotis australis var. “lytteltonensis” (RO) (T) (E)
  93. Myrsine australis māpou, matipou
  94. Myrsine divaricata weeping māpou
  95. Myrsine nummularia (RO) creeping māpou, creeping matipou
  96. Neomyrtus pendunculata rōhutu
  97. Olearia arborescens (RO) common tree-daisy
  98. Olearia avicenniaefolia (RO) akeake
  99. Olearia bullata
  100. Olearia fragrantissima (T) akeake
  101. Olearia ilicifolia (M) hakeke, mountain holly
  102. Olearia nummularifolia (RO) akeake, shrub daisy
  103. Olearia paniculata akiraho, golden akeake
  104. Ourisia lactea (RO)
  105. Parahebe lyallii (RO)
  106. Parsonsia heterophylla kaihua, New Zealand jasmine
  107. Passiflora tetrandra
  108. Pennantia corymbosa kaikōmako
  109. Phormium cookianum (M)
  110. Phormium tenax harakeke, New Zealand flax
  111. Pittosporum eugenioides tarata, lemonwood
  112. Pittosporum tenuifolium kōhūhu
  113. Plagianthus regius mānatu, ribbonwood
  114. Poa cita wī, silver tussock
  115. Poa colensoi
  116. Podocarpus laetus (M) mountain tōtara
  117. Podocarpus tōtara tōtara
  118. Prumnopitys ferruginea miro
  119. Prumnopitys taxifolia mātai, black pine
  120. Pseudopanax arboreus whauwhaupaku, five finger
  121. Pseudopanax colensoi (M) orihou, mountain five finger
  122. Pseudopanax crassifolius horoeka, lancewood
  123. Raukaua anomalus
  124. Raukaua edgerleyi
  125. Pseudopanax ferox fierce lancewood
  126. Pseudowintera colorata horopito, pepper tree
  127. Rubus cissoides (RO)
  128. Rubus schmidelioides (RO)
  129. Rubus squarrosus (RO)
  130. Scandia geniculata
  131. Schefflera digitata patë
  132. Scleranthus uniflorus (RO)
  133. Scleranthus biflorus (RO)
  134. Sophora microphylla
  135. Sophora prostrata (RO) dwarf kōwhai
  136. Streblus heterophyllus
  137. Teucrium parvifolium
  138. Zotovia avenacea pātītī, bush rice grass

Some Maori names are generic, eg.
wi – tussock spp.
karamu – Coprosma spp.
akeake – olearia spp.

back to top

Back to top