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.
Species name and common name
M = Banks Peninsula montane
RO = Banks Peninsula rock outcrops
T = threatened
R = rare
E = endemic to Banks Peninsula
- Acaena anserinifolia (RO)
- Acaena caesiglauca (RO)
- Aciphylla aurea (RO) taramea, golden Spaniard
- Aciphylla subflabellata (RO) kurikuri, spear grass
- Alectryon excelsus titoki, NZ ash
- Anemanthele lessoniana hunangāmoho, wind grass, bamboo grass
- Anisotome aromatica (RO) pinakitere
- Aristotelia fruticosa (RO) mountain wineberry
- Aristotelia serrata makomako, wineberry
- Arthropodium candidum (RO)
- Astelia fragrans (M) kakaha, bush lily
- Brachyglottis lagopus (RO)
- Brachyglottis sciadophila climbing groundsel
- Carex forsteri
- Carex geminata
- Carex solandri
- Carex uncinata hook sedge
- Carmichaelia australis
- Carmichaelia kirkii maukoro, scrambling broom (T)
- Carpodetus serratus putaputāwētā, marble leaf
- Celmisia gracilenta (RO)
- Celmisia mackaui (RO) (E) Akaroa daisy
- Chionochloa conspicua (M) hunangāmoho
- Chionochloa rigida (M)
- Clematis afoliata
- Clematis foetida
- Clematis marata
- Clematis paniculata
- Coprosma acerosa (RO)
- Coprosma areolata thin-leaved coprosma
- Coprosma crassifolia
- Coprosma linariifolia yellow wood
- Coprosma lucida
- Coprosma propinqua mingimingi
- Coprosma rhamnoides
- Coprosma rigida
- Coprosma robusta karamū
- Coprosma rotundifolia round-leaved coprosma
- Coprosma rubra (M)
- Coprosma sp. ‘Taylorii’
- Coprosma virescens
- Coprosma wallii (M) (T)
- Cordyline australis tī kōuka, cabbage tree
- Cordyline indivisa (M) (R) tī tōī, broad-leaved cabbage tree
- Coriaria arborea
- Corokia cotoneaster
- Dacrycarpus dacrydioides kahikatea, white pine
- Dianella nigra tūrutu, blueberry
- Discaria toumatou tūmatakuru, matagouri
- Dodonaea viscosa akeake
- Dracophyllum acerosum (M)
- Elaeocarpus hookerianus pōkākā
- Festuca actae (E) anks Peninsula blue tussock
- Festuca novae-zelandiae wī, fescue tussock
- Fuchsia excorticata kotukutuku, fuchsia
- Fuchsia perscandens (RO) (R) kotukutuku, climbing fuchsia
- Fuscospora fusca (M) tawhairaunui, red beech
- Fuscospora solandri (M) tawhairauriki, black beech
- Gaultheria antipoda (M)
- Gaultheria depressa (M)
- Geum parviflorum (RO)
- Gingidia enysii (RO) naupiro
- Gingidia montana (RO)
- Griselinia littoralis pāpāuma, broadleaf
- Gunnera monoica (RO)
- Hebe odora (RO) korokio, boxwood
- Hebe salicifolia koromiko
- Hebe strictissima (E) koromiko
- Hedycarya arborea pōporokaiwhiri, pigeonwood
- Helichrysum bellidioides (RO)
- Heliohebe lavaudiana (RO) (T) (E)
- Helychrysum lanceolatum niniao
- Hierochloe redolens kāretu, holy scented grass
- Hoheria angustifolia houhi puruhi, narrow-leaved lacebark
- Kunzea robusta kānuka
- Leptecophylla juniperina (M)
- Leptospermum scoparium mānuka, tea tree
- Leucopogon fasciculatus (M)
- Leucopogon fraseri (M)
- Libertia ixioides mikoikoi, New Zealand iris
- Libocedrus bidwillii (M) (R)
- Lobelia angulata (RO)
- Lophomyrtus obcordata rōhutu, NZ myrtle
- Luzula rufa (M)
- Macropiper excelsum kawakawa, pepper tree
- Melicope simplex poataniwha
- Melicytus micranthus
- Melicytus alpinus (RO) mountain māhoe, porcupine shrub
- Melicytus ramiflorus māhoe, whiteywood
- Metrosideros diffusa (RO)
- Myoporum laetum ngaio
- Myosotis australis var. “lytteltonensis” (RO) (T) (E)
- Myrsine australis māpou, matipou
- Myrsine divaricata weeping māpou
- Myrsine nummularia (RO) creeping māpou, creeping matipou
- Neomyrtus pendunculata rōhutu
- Olearia arborescens (RO) common tree-daisy
- Olearia avicenniaefolia (RO) akeake
- Olearia bullata
- Olearia fragrantissima (T) akeake
- Olearia ilicifolia (M) hakeke, mountain holly
- Olearia nummularifolia (RO) akeake, shrub daisy
- Olearia paniculata akiraho, golden akeake
- Ourisia lactea (RO)
- Parahebe lyallii (RO)
- Parsonsia heterophylla kaihua, New Zealand jasmine
- Passiflora tetrandra
- Pennantia corymbosa kaikōmako
- Phormium cookianum (M)
- Phormium tenax harakeke, New Zealand flax
- Pittosporum eugenioides tarata, lemonwood
- Pittosporum tenuifolium kōhūhu
- Plagianthus regius mānatu, ribbonwood
- Poa cita wī, silver tussock
- Poa colensoi
- Podocarpus laetus (M) mountain tōtara
- Podocarpus tōtara tōtara
- Prumnopitys ferruginea miro
- Prumnopitys taxifolia mātai, black pine
- Pseudopanax arboreus whauwhaupaku, five finger
- Pseudopanax colensoi (M) orihou, mountain five finger
- Pseudopanax crassifolius horoeka, lancewood
- Raukaua anomalus
- Raukaua edgerleyi
- Pseudopanax ferox fierce lancewood
- Pseudowintera colorata horopito, pepper tree
- Rubus cissoides (RO)
- Rubus schmidelioides (RO)
- Rubus squarrosus (RO)
- Scandia geniculata
- Schefflera digitata patē
- Scleranthus uniflorus (RO)
- Scleranthus biflorus (RO)
- Sophora microphylla
- Sophora prostrata (RO) dwarf kōwhai
- Streblus heterophyllus
- Teucrium parvifolium
- Zotovia avenacea pātītī, bush rice grass