Native plants natural to coastal areas

Introduction

Find out about native plants found in coastal areas.

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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

  1. Coprosma crassifolia thick-leaved coprosma
  2. Coprosma propinqua mingmingi
  3. Coprosma robusta karamü
  4. Cordyline australis ti köuka, cabbage tree
  5. Corokia cotoneaster korokio, corokia
  6. Cortaderia richardii toetoe
  7. Discaria toumatou tümatakuru, matagouri
  8. Dodonaea viscosa akeake
  9. Griselinia littoralis päpäuma, broadleaf
  10. Hebe salicifolia koromiko
  11. Kunzea ericoides känuka
  12. Leptospermum scoparium mänuka, tea tree
  13. Macropiper excelsum kawakawa
  14. Melicytus ramiflorus
  15. Myoporum laetum ngaio
  16. Myrsine australis mäpou
  17. Olearia paniculata akiraho, golden akeake
  18. Phormium tenax harakeke, New Zealand flax
  19. Pittosporum eugenioides
  20. Pittosporum tenuifolium black matipo, köhühu
  21. Pseudopanax arboreus
  22. Solanum laciniatum poroporo
  23. Sophora prostrata dwarf köwhai


    24. Mid dunes
  1. Acaena novae-zelandiae
  2. Carex littoralis (R/T)
  3. Carex trifida tataki
  4. Carmichaelia appressa (R) maukoro, common native broom
  5. Clematis afoliata pöhue, leafless clematis
  6. Coprosma acerosa sand coprosma
  7. Craspedia ‘Kaitorete’ (R/T)
  8. Festuca novae-zelandiae fescue tussock
  9. Helichrysum lanceolatum niniao
  10. Muehlenbeckia astonii (T) shrubby tororaro
  11. Muehlenbeckia axillaris
  12. Muehlenbeckia complexa pöhuehue
  13. Muehlenbeckia ephedroides (R)
  14. Ozothamnus leptophylla tauhinu, golden cottonwood
  15. Pimelea prostrata native sand daphne
  16. Poa cita wï silver tussock
  17. Raoulia australis
  18. Salicornia australis southern grasswort
  19. Samolus repens sea primrose
  20. Scleranthus uniflorus näereere
  21. Tetragonia trigyna kökihi, New Zealand spinach


    22. Fore dunes
     
  22. Austrofestuca littoralis (R/T) sand tussock
  23. Calystegia soldanella wihiwihi, sand convululus
  24. Carex pumila sand sedge
  25. Desmoschoenus spiralis pïngao, golden sand sedge
  26. Disphyma australe horokaka, Maori ice plant
  27. Euphorbia glauca (R/T) waiuatua
  28. Linum monogynum rauhuia, New Zealand linen flax
  29. Pimelea arenaria daphne
  30. Raoulia australis
  31. Zoysia minima (R)

          Swampy hollows

  1. Bolboschoenus caldwellii purua, sedge
  2. Isolepis basilaris (R/T) turf club rush
  3. Isolepis nodosa
  4. Juncus maritimus sea rush
  5. Leptocarpus similis oioi, jointed wire rush
  6. Plagianthus divaricatus marsh ribbonwood
  7. Schoenoplectus pungens three-square
  8. Selliera radicans remuremu, a mat plant

Some Maori names are generic, e.g., wi – tussock spp., karamu – coprosma spp., akeake – olearia spp. 

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