alpine and subalpine Plants from New Zealand

[Leucogenes]

Hi David

Commenting on every single photo of yours would go "beyond the scope".... all in all a feast for the senses for me...as was to be expected...:-)

I was especially pleased about your little hint that you have positioned Celmisia bellidioides moist and cool. I have two tiny specimens of it...in one pot. Thanks to your hint I may be able to keep it alive.

The two Carmichaelia make my mouth water....

Thanks again for showing...would love more of these.... if your precious time allows.

[t00lie]

Lovely to see what''s flowering in your garden Mr Lyttle especially M.capitata which I have lost .....

It's cousin Myosotis rakiura was flowering on/near the Bluff coastal track a couple of days ago. i came across a few in bloom along the edge of the track and the area which now has a 'no spray' policy means clumps of Native Orchids are increasing nicely as well.


Myosotis rakiura


Greenhood Orchid. Tutukiwi (Pterostylis banksii)



Spider Orchid. Corybas oblongus


Cheers Dave.

[David Lyttle]

Hi David,

Lovely to know that you are still growing and flowering some superb plants!  Your image of Myosotis capitata brings back happy memories, I used to grow and flower these so well here in Lancashire and exhibited them a number of times at the shows, but haven't seen it here for quite a number of years now.  Best regards to you and the alpine fraternity down under ... seems a long, long time since we hiked together to see Ranunculus crithmifolius in full flower.

Hi Cliff, I have very pleasant memories of that trip and your excellent company. It does seem a very long time ago. Hope all is well with you and your passion for buttercups is undiminished.

I was back at Mt Cook at the end of November and Ranunculus lyalli was as splendid as ever. Here are a few photos from that trip that I hope you will enjoy. In the first photo we have it all Ranunculus lyallii, Aciphylla scott-thomsomii, Aciphylla aurea and Mt Cook as a bonus



Mt Cook again with only a few buttercups to distract the viewer.



Mt Sefton Lots of Aciphylla aurea in flower in the foreground



Mt Sefton again The nearest peak is Footstool which is not as high



Mueller Lake This was the terminus of the Mueller Glacier until fairly recently The ice has retreated a long way up the valley and you can see the freshly exposed lateral moraine as well as the older moraines that have become re-vegetated

[David Lyttle]

Greetings Thomas, thank you for your kind words. We are not really into the alpine at Mt Cook as it is only 800 m. The vegetation is a mixture of shrubland and tussock grassland with some of the  larger alpine herbaceous species present as well. For the true alpines you need to go higher still.

Aciphylla aurea is very common and was flowering this year



There were thousands of Ranunculus lyallii growing through the Chionochloa tussock and shrubland.

The leaves are almost as attractive as the flowers

The plants were growing all through the tussocks so I had to look around to find ones that were not obscured. It was quite windy as well and very sunny - not ideal conditions for photography

[Hoy]

Plants and landscapes are superb as always!
 

[Gabriela]

Thanks for sharing these David. Like Trond said, superb as always!
The snow peaked mountains for the background are just perfect

[Leucogenes]

Hi David

I can only agree with Gabriela's words...the snow covered mountains in the background are the "icing on the cake".

Your photos show the diversity of the "montane stage" with you. You are absolutely right... The foliage of Ranunculus lyallii alone is a feast for the eyes.

I have two pots that I sowed in February. The first seedlings are appearing and I hope for a good development next spring. I got the seeds from our mutual friend Dave...😏

I look forward to the next report from your excursions.

[David Lyttle]

Hello Trond, Gabriela, Thomas, Thank you all for you kind comments

The views from from the Hooker Valley track are certainly impressive; the floor of the Valley is 800 m and the summit of Mt Sefton is just over 3100 m which is a vertical gain of 2300 m is a very short distance. It is a very dynamic landscape with its glaciers, rockfalls and avalanches. During the morning we saw several avalanches falling from the icefields on Mt Sefton. Long term the ice and the glaciers are in retreat as this 1904 photo shows https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/327236 The terminal face of the Mueller Glacier was where the lake is now. The vegetation likewise changes over time as plants colonise the fresh morainic debris and you can see the sucessional changes as you walk down the valley. The vegetation you see in the photos has relatively few species and is not particularly diverse.

Thomas, I hope you succeed with your efforts to grow Ranunculus lyallii. I have not been able to keep it possibly because it does not get enough cold chilling in the winter ( but this would not be a problem for you)

[Lesley Cox]

Dave and Hamish and Mika have been to the Eyre Mountains at New Year and among other super plants have found and photographed the stunning Ranunculus piliferus. Dave posted on Facebook and I truly hope he will post here as well because the photos would give everyone great joy in the New Year. R. semiverticillata from South America is perhaps the outstanding species (now called Callianthemoides, for Heaven's sake!) but piliferus while quite different and yellow instead of white, is no less fine.

[Maggi Young]

T00lie's photos were shared to the SRGC Facebook page. here are a few.... Dave wrote " Last few days in the Jane Peak area, Eyre Mtns searching for Ranunculus piliferus at about 1900m. No luck in the side valley near the snow patches however yesterday at the head of Gorge Creek on scree our luck changed."


 Ranunculus piliferus photos from Mountain Man Dave!










Star marks the spot where they found Ranunculus piliferus

[Claire Cockcroft]

" Ranunculus piliferus photos from Mountain Man Dave!"

Outstanding!

[ruweiss]

Raoulia australis grows directly in the sand plunge of the Alpine House. I cannot
grow them in the garden, it is simply too hot for them. The flowers are really tiny.

[ashley]

Raoulia australis grows directly in the sand plunge of the Alpine House. I cannot
grow them in the garden, it is simply too hot for them. The flowers are really tiny.

That's beautiful Rudi.  Very impressive that you can grow it so well there in southern Germany.  Was it from seed originally? 

[ruweiss]

Ashlev,
thank you for your kind reply. My plant as a gift from
a Botanical Garden.

[Leucogenes]

Today there is once again a good reason to write here. In September 2020 I sowed wild seeds of Lobelia roughii. In the second spring, there was indeed good germination. The young plants are developing excellently. You can already see the characteristic serrated shape of the leaves. One specimen is growing particularly well and is already flowering.

I am very happy to be able to establish this bizarre representative of the New Zealand Scree in my Alpinum in the future.