Native plants natural to coastal areas

Introduction

Find out about native plants found in coastal areas.

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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

    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



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



Fore dunes

     
  1. Austrofestuca littoralis (R/T) sand tussock
  2. Calystegia soldanella wihiwihi, sand convululus
  3. Carex pumila sand sedge
  4. Desmoschoenus spiralis pïngao, golden sand sedge
  5. Disphyma australe horokaka, Maori ice plant
  6. Euphorbia glauca (R/T) waiuatua
  7. Linum monogynum rauhuia, New Zealand linen flax
  8. Pimelea arenaria daphne
  9. Raoulia australis
  10. 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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