Native plants of the Canterbury foothills forests
Introduction
Discover the many native plants found in the foothills forests of Canterbury.Download the publication
Native plants of the Canterbury foothills forests (PDF, 2,496K)
Grown from seed collected from native remnants in the Oxford area.
Beech/tawhai is the most common native forest in the Canterbury foothills. Black beech/tawhairauriki (Nothofagus solandri) dominates the lower slopes, while mountain beech/tawhairauriki (Nothofagus solandri var cliffortioides) is more prevalent at higher altitudes and on the more exposed harsh sites. Red beech/tawhairaunui (Nothofagus fusca) is also present, but is uncommon and found only in the Mt Grey area.
Podocarp species, such as kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydiodes), mataï (Prumnopitys taxifolia), and rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum) are also present on the poorly drained lower slopes and moist gullies where they mix with beech. The understorey is diverse, and consists of a wide range of shrubs, herbaceous plants and fern species. The more common shrubs include species of Coprosma/karamū, lancewood/horoeka, broadleaf/kāpuka (Griselinia littoralis), putaputāwëtā (Carpodetus serratus), wineberry/makomako (Aristotelia serrata), and other Pseudopanax species.
Regenerating forest is also a feature of the Canterbury foothills flora and is represented by broadleaf, kōwhai (Sophora microphylla), small-leaved Coprosma species, mountain wineberry (Aristotelia fruticosa), mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium), and kānuka (Kunzea ericoides).
Southern rata (Metrosideros umbellata) is found sporadically, growing on bluffs and rock outcrops, especially in the Alford Forest.
Canterbury foothills
Species name and common name
R = rare
T = threatened
- Aristotelia serrata makomako, wineberry
- Astelia fragrans kakaha, bush lily
- Carex buchananii matirewa, cutty grass
- Carex dispacea
- Carex tenuiculmis (R)
- Carmichaelia torulosa (R)
- Carpodetus serratus putaputäwëtä, marble leaf
- Clematis paniculata
- Coprosma ‘Taylorii’
- Coprosma linariifolia yellow-wood
- Coprosma lucida
- Coprosma propinqua mingimingi
- Coprosma rhamnoides
- Coprosma robusta karamü
- Coprosma rotundifolia
- Coprosma virescens
- Cordyline australis ti köuka, cabbage tree
- Dacrydium cupressium rimu
- Elaeocarpus hookerianus pökäkä
- Griselinia littoralis päpäuma, broadleaf
- Hebe salicifolia koromiko
- Hebe traversii
- Hoheria lyallii houhi, mountain ribbonwood
- Melicope simplex poataniwha
- Melicytus flexuosus
- Metrosideros umbellata southern rätä, ironwood
- Myrsine australis matipou, mäpou
- Myrsine divaricata weeping mäpou
- Nothofagus fusca tawhairaunui, red beech
- Nothofagus solandri tawhairauriki, black beech
- Nothofagus solandri var cliffortioides tawhairauriki, mountain beech
- Olearia avicenniaefolia akeake
- Phormium cookianum wharariki, mountain flax
- Pittosporum eugenioides tarata, lemonwood
- Pittosporum tenuifolium köhühu
- Plagianthus regius mänatu, ribbonwood
- Podocarpus hallii mountain tötara
- Prumnopitys ferruginea miro
- Prumnopitys taxifolia mataï, black pine
- Pseudopanax arboreus whauwhaupaku, five finger
- Pseudopanax colensoi orihou, mountain five finger
- Pseudopanax crassifolius horoeka, lancewood
- Raukaua anomalus
- Sophora microphylla köwhai
- Uncinia rubra
- Zotovia avenacea