NZ Field trips January 2007

[Maggi Young]

THESE VIRTUAL MOUNTAIN TRIPS ARE A HIGHLIGHT OF MY DAY !!
To see the scenery as well as the plants is just fantastic. I particularly like to see the male and female versions of the Aciphylla flowers, an added detail to the lesson.
THANKS, NZers!!

[Paddy Tobin]

Utterly brilliant, loved each and every posting you made and the photographs were outstanding, a great treat to be able to view them from the northern hemisphere.

Glad that you enjoyed the day out as I certainly did.

It strikes me that such outings are regularly the subject of articles for journals such as that of the SRGC or the AGS and, you know, they wouldn't be able to carry the number of photographs which we have viewed here. Don't we all give special attention to the photographs in these articles as they show what we really want to see, the plants. Here we have had them in abundance and in quality.

Paddy

[John Forrest]

Great pics Dave, obviously you are required to continue making forays into the wilderness to keep us all satisfied. 

[Paddy Tobin]

Actually, I propose that the lot of them be sent off into the mountains for good. (so that they can send us back more photographs and stories of their adventures)

Paddy

[t00lie]

Aw Patrick if only if only .

While it wouldn't take much to convince me unfortunately most of us still have to earn a living on the 'flat'.
In my case it will be for another 14 years until i reach the stage where i can retire and the Government supplements my roaming in the hills.

Now if i had been a lot wiser and maybe a bit luckier in my earlier adulthood i might have been able to look at taking early retirement in 3 or 4 years as a some of my friends are preparing to do .In the meantime it's this weekend at home catching up on domestic chores before heading away again.

Cheers Dave.

[Paddy Tobin]

Dave,

Heading away again - you can't complain too much then.

So, we can look forward to more photographs then?

Enjoy, Paddy

[Susan]

It's the seed I'm looking forward to.  That R buchananii would look just great next to my R lyallii, thanks Dave.....

Susan

[Maggi Young]

Earlier in this thread, Dave Toole said "While I agree Ranunculus lyallii is beautiful ,the most spectacular one in my eyes is the yellow aff R. haastii ssp. pilifeus from the ST Mary Range in North Otago.The plants in this area have recently been recognised as a species in their own right.Unfortunately i have forgotten the new name,(duh!!!)." Ian Y. added that he had heard from aan SRGC chum with good NZ contacts that the name was, in fact:  "R. acraeus, according to my informant, IY."

Guess what has just popped into our email box from my sister and her husband (Ann and Bill)in Dunedin?
This clipping from their newspaper: they thought we'd be interested! YES!!

[Paddy Tobin]

Doesn't the world seem to get smaller and smaller so quickly.

Good one, Maggi. Very interesting.

Paddy

[Lesley Cox]

As Paddy says, Good one Maggi. It's quite readable when enlarged so I'll save a stamp and Cliff can read it here. Poor man, I can see him salivating already, rather like my dog when waiting for a (small) bite of Christmas cake. A disgusting sight!

[Maggi Young]

Good of my Sis to send it through, eh? I don't think they knew we had been discussing it here, though they do visit the website. Nice to see the photo of the scrummy buttercup is taken by none other than SRGC member and chum, Ann Cartman. 'Tis a small world, isn't it? Best wishes to Ann and Joe, if you're out there!!

[t00lie]

A few years ago a small group of us were botanising on the Ohau Ski field in summer when we came across a Ranunculus in seed that looked a very vigorous form of haastii and even though since then i've seen R.acraeus on the St Mary Range ,(awakino) ,i never put 'two and two together'.

After reading the newspaper article above  'the penny has finally dropped' i now realise i was looking at the same species.

Cheers Dave.

[ranunculus]

Salivating already?!!   Disgusting sight?!!   Lesley, Lesley....it's only another little buttercup!

(Excuse me whilst I away and wipe the drool from my jowls).

Who will be the first to get a Forrest or Farrer Medal with R. acraeus....my money is on a certain Mr Furness!

Superb article...many thanks dear Mrs Young.

[David Lyttle]

For those interested in Ranunculus acraeus the relevant paper is  Relationships in the alpine Ranunculus haastii ( Ranunculaceae) complex and recognition of R. piliferus and R. acraeus from southern New Zealand  by Heenan et al New Zealand Journal of Botany, 2006, 44: 425-441

There is an electronic PDF form available with good photographs

see here for Abstract : http://www.rsnz.org/publish/nzjb/2006/034.php

[Lesley Cox]

Unfortunately David, the PDF seems to be available only to members of the RSNZ. I couldn't log in to access it.