Native plants natural to Banks Peninsula

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Native plants natural to Banks Peninsula (PDF, 226K)

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 totara grows above 500 metres, coastal forest (including the warmth-demanding species like ngaio and nikau 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 hunangämoho, 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. Carmichaelia australis
18. Carmichaelia kirkii maukoro, scrambling broom (T)
19. Carpodetus serratus putaputäwëtä, marble leaf
20. Celmisia gracilenta (RO)
21. Celmisia mackaui (RO) (E) Akaroa daisy
22. Chionochloa conspicua (M) hunangämoho
23. Chionochloa rigida (M)
24. Clematis afoliata
25. Clematis foetida
26. Clematis marata
27. Clematis paniculata
28. Coprosma acerosa (RO)
29. Coprosma areolata thin-leaved coprosma
30. Coprosma crassifolia
31. Coprosma linariifolia yellow wood
32. Coprosma lucida
33. Coprosma propinqua mingimingi
34. Coprosma rhamnoides
35. Coprosma rigida
36. Coprosma robusta karamü
37. Coprosma rotundifolia round-leaved coprosma
38. Coprosma rubra (M)
39. Coprosma sp. 'Taylorii'
40. Coprosma virescens
41. Coprosma wallii (M) (T)
42. Cordyline australis ti köuka, cabbage tree
43. Cordyline indivisa (M) (R) tï töï, broad-leaved cabbage tree
44. Coriaria arborea
45. Corokia cotoneaster
46. Cyathodes juniperina (M)
47. Dacrycarpus dacrydioides kahikatea, white pine
48. Dianella nigra türutu, blueberry
49. Discaria toumatou tümatakuru, matagouri
50. Dodonaea viscosa akeake
51. Dracophyllum acerosum (M)
52. Elaeocarpus hookerianus pökäkä
53. Festuca actae (E) anks Peninsula blue tussock
54. Festuca novae-zelandiae wï, fescue tussock
55. Fuchsia excorticata kotukutuku, fuchsia
56. Fuchsia perscandens (RO) (R) kotukutuku, climbing fuchsia
57. Gaultheria antipoda (M)
58. Gaultheria depressa (M)
59. Geum parviflorum (RO)
60. Gingidia enysii (RO) naupiro
61. Gingidia montana (RO)
62. Griselinia littoralis päpäuma, broadleaf
63. Gunnera monoica (RO)
64. Hebe odora (RO) korokio, boxwood
65. Hebe salicifolia koromiko
66. Hebe strictissima (E) koromiko
67. Hedycarya arborea pöporokaiwhiri, pigeonwood
68. Helichrysum bellidioides (RO)
69. Heliohebe lavaudiana (RO) (T) (E)
70. Helychrysum lanceolatum niniao
71. Hierochloe redolens käretu, holy scented grass
72. Hoheria angustifolia houhi puruhi, narrow-leaved lacebark
73. Hoheria populnea var lanceolata (E) lacebark,houhere
74. Kunzea ericoides känuka
75. Leptospermum scoparium mänuka, tea tree
76. Leucopogon fasciculatus (M)
77. Leucopogon fraseri (M)
78. Libertia ixioides mikoikoi, New Zealand iris
79. Libocedrus bidwillii (M) (R)
80. Lophomyrtus obcordata röhutu, NZ myrtle
81. Luzula rufa (M)
82. Macropiper excelsum kawakawa, pepper tree
83. Melicope simplex poataniwha
84. Melicytus micranthus
85. Melicytus alpinus (RO) mountain mähoe, porcupine shrub
86. Melicytus ramiflorus mähoe, whiteywood
87. Metrosideros diffusa (RO)
88. Myoporum laetum ngaio
89. Myosotis australis var. "lytteltonensis" (RO) (T) (E)
90. Myrsine australis mäpou, matipou
91. Myrsine divaricata weeping mäpou
92. Myrsine nummularia (RO) creeping mäpou, creeping matipou
93. Neomyrtus pendunculata röhutu
94. Nothofagus fusca (M) tawhairaunui, red beech
95. Nothofagus solandri (M) tawhairauriki, black beech
96. Olearia arborescens (RO) common tree-daisy
97. Olearia avicenniaefolia (RO) akeake
98. Olearia bullata
99. Olearia fragrantissima (T) akeake
100. Olearia ilicifolia (M) hakeke, mountain holly
101. Olearia nummularifolia (RO) akeake, shrub daisy
102. Olearia paniculata akiraho, golden akeake
103. Ourisia lactea (RO)
104. Parahebe lyallii (RO)
105. Parsonsia heterophylla kaihua, New Zealand jasmine
106. Passiflora tetrandra
107. Pennantia corymbosa kaikömako
108. Phormium cookianum (M)
109. Phormium tenax harakeke, New Zealand flax
110. Pittosporum eugenioides tarata, lemonwood
111. Pittosporum tenuifolium köhühu
112. Plagianthus regius mänatu, ribbonwood
113. Poa cita wï, silver tussock
114. Poa colensoi
115. Podocarpus hallii (M) mountain tötara
116. Podocarpus totara tötara
117. Pratia angulata (RO)
118. Prumnopitys ferruginea miro
119. Prumnopitys taxifolia mätai, 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 köwhai
136. Streblus heterophyllus
137. Teucridium parvifolium
138. Unicinia rubra (M)
139. Unicinia uncinata hook sedge
140. Zotovia avenacea pätïtï, bush rice grass

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

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