Native plants natural to coastal areas
Introduction
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Native plants natural to coastal areas (PDF, 897K)
Grown from seed collected from coastal areas of Banks Peninsula, Christchuch and the Lyttelton Basin.
Very little of our original native coastal vegetation has survived. Farming and urban settlement have destroyed the coastal natural communities, and exotic species such as marram grass, lupins and pine trees have replaced the natural vegetation of pingao, flax and ngaio.
The native species once colonised dry and unstable soils and sand dunes, where they provided shelter against strong, salt-laden winds, and habitat for the native wildlife.
We can still appreciate the richness and beauty of our herbaceous plants, grasses, hardwoods and ferns in remnants of our coastal forests and undisturbed sand dunes. Planting the species represented in these gardens will restore some of these plant communities, provide shelter and food source for our native fauna and the seed source for natural regeneration.
Canterbury coastal areas
Species name and common name
R = rare
T = threatened
Coastal forest
- Coprosma crassifolia thick-leaved coprosma
- Coprosma propinqua mingmingi
- Coprosma robusta karamü
- Cordyline australis ti köuka, cabbage tree
- Corokia cotoneaster korokio, corokia
- Cortaderia richardii toetoe
- Discaria toumatou tümatakuru, matagouri
- Dodonaea viscosa akeake
- Griselinia littoralis päpäuma, broadleaf
- Hebe salicifolia koromiko
- Kunzea ericoides känuka
- Leptospermum scoparium mänuka, tea tree
- Macropiper excelsum kawakawa
- Melicytus ramiflorus
- Myoporum laetum ngaio
- Myrsine australis mäpou
- Olearia paniculata akiraho, golden akeake
- Phormium tenax harakeke, New Zealand flax
- Pittosporum eugenioides
- Pittosporum tenuifolium black matipo, köhühu
- Pseudopanax arboreus
- Solanum laciniatum poroporo
- Sophora prostrata dwarf köwhai
Mid dunes
- Acaena novae-zelandiae
- Carex littoralis (R/T)
- Carex trifida tataki
- Carmichaelia appressa (R) maukoro, common native broom
- Clematis afoliata pöhue, leafless clematis
- Coprosma acerosa sand coprosma
- Craspedia ‘Kaitorete’ (R/T)
- Festuca novae-zelandiae fescue tussock
- Helichrysum lanceolatum niniao
- Muehlenbeckia astonii (T) shrubby tororaro
- Muehlenbeckia axillaris
- Muehlenbeckia complexa pöhuehue
- Muehlenbeckia ephedroides (R)
- Ozothamnus leptophylla tauhinu, golden cottonwood
- Pimelea prostrata native sand daphne
- Poa cita wï silver tussock
- Raoulia australis
- Salicornia australis southern grasswort
- Samolus repens sea primrose
- Scleranthus uniflorus näereere
- Tetragonia trigyna kökihi, New Zealand spinach
Fore dunes
- Austrofestuca littoralis (R/T) sand tussock
- Calystegia soldanella wihiwihi, sand convululus
- Carex pumila sand sedge
- Desmoschoenus spiralis pïngao, golden sand sedge
- Disphyma australe horokaka, Maori ice plant
- Euphorbia glauca (R/T) waiuatua
- Linum monogynum rauhuia, New Zealand linen flax
- Pimelea arenaria daphne
- Raoulia australis
- Zoysia minima (R)
Swampy hollows
- Bolboschoenus caldwellii purua, sedge
- Isolepis basilaris (R/T) turf club rush
- Isolepis nodosa
- Juncus maritimus sea rush
- Leptocarpus similis oioi, jointed wire rush
- Plagianthus divaricatus marsh ribbonwood
- Schoenoplectus pungens three-square
- Selliera radicans remuremu, a mat plant
Some Maori names are generic, e.g., wi – tussock spp., karamu – coprosma spp., akeake – olearia spp.