New Zealand field trips October 2008

[Maggi Young]

Extraordinary photos of this exciting place, David. Really enjoying this, thank you !
Some of those ferns seem more like sea-weeds... amazing plants!

[ranunculus]

Thanks David. I thought it looked like some kind of foamy substance that might have something's eggs in it. Like frog spawn, though hardly that in a bush.

Could have been a tree frog Lesley!  Doh!   

[Lesley Cox]

I suppose so.  :)I have (a very few now, used to have hundreds) of the Australian whistling tree frog. The are little coffee coloured blokes, very cute. They neither whistle nor, so far as I've seen, live in trees. Eggs? in the local ponds I think.

[Lesley Cox]

Paul, the tree fuchsia's flowers are typically fuchsia-like, especially like those of the smaller-flowered species, little spinning top shape and small for the size of the tree but borne numerously. They are a sort of pinky-plum colour and very pretty. Even better though are the very large black fruits, similar shape to those of Hardenbergia. They are juicy and edible, by birds and people. I get a lot of bird-sown seedlings in my garden.

[David Lyttle]

Hi everyone,

Paul, The flowers are much as Lesley has described but a picture is worth a thousand words
Picture 1 is of young flowers shedding pollen. As you can see the pollen is purple. The flowers are a nectar source for bellbirds and tuis who act as pollinators.

Picture 2 shows the older flowers with most of the pollen gone. At this stage the develop a plum colour.

Picture 3 is a bonus; It is Fuchsia perscandens a vigorous climbing species that is not well known in horticultural circles

[David Lyttle]

Maggi,

You must persuade Ian to bring you with him next time he comes so you can see it all for yourself.
regards,
David

[Lesley Cox]

David, I had no idea the new flowers had that beautiful blue and green colouring. They are really special.

[Gerdk]

David, Lesley
That's nearly too much to learn, because:

1. There is more than Fuchsia procumbens in N.Z.
2. There is a tree Fuchsia
3. There is a climbing Fuchsia
4. The fruits of Fuchsia are edible

Are there some more surprises?

Gerd

[David Lyttle]

Gerd,

There are always more surprises. Nearly every time I go out I find something that I have not seen before. You are correct with respect to Fuchsia;there is Fuchsia procumbens which is a low-growing trailing plant, Fuchsia perscandens which can be a climber or a tangled low bush and Fuchsia excorticata which can form a substantial tree. The fruits of Fuchsia excorticata are produced in abundance and can be eaten. Birds are very fond of them -  humans are generally not.

[Paul T]

David,

Temperature requirements for the tree fuchsia please?  How frost tolerant?  I don't know F. perscandens either, so need details of that one (and pictures if you have them).  I already grow F. procumbens and just love it.  The flower pictures you posted for the tree fuchsia immediately brought the procumbens flowers to mind.  More details needed!! 

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Wonderful walk in a very special area David.
I suppose you could almost call it a rain forrest.
Thanks very much for letting us carry your bags...

[David Lyttle]

Paul,
Fuchsia excorticata is deciduous so it is reasonably frost tolerant more so than procumbens. It should tolerant down to at least -5 degrees C. Fuchsia perscandens would have similar tolerances. I have always thought F. excorticata would look good under planted with rhododendrons. Here it is considered a bit of a weed by gardeners as it is spread by birds and keeps appearing where it is not wanted as it is one of the primary colonising species reponsible for forest establishment.

Luc,

There is a rainfall gradient that governs the distribution of rain/cloud forest around Dunedin.  The summit of Mt Cargill (680m) near the coast is forested where as the the summit of Flagstaff (668m) which is further inland is not is not. The track from Leith Saddle rises up to a point on Swampy Spur (666m) and crosses the transition zone which I hope to show when I continue this posting. The story is slightly more complicated than this but on some of these points we get into a bit of conjecture and debate so I will leave it there.

[Paul T]

David,

And yet Fuchsia excorticata is allowed in through our quarantine (i.e on the list of allowed species).  I doubt that the perscandens has been evaluated, so it isn't on the list.  Methinks I shall have to find a source for excorticata..... looks too interesting not to try it.  How tall does it actually end up?  Can it be trimmed to keep it down?  Does it prefer shade to full sun?

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Fascinating stuff David - I'll be looking forward for the next postings !!

[Lesley Cox]

David is probably better placed to answer this than I am but I find the (bird-sown) seedlings of Fuchsia excorticata grow better in at least part shade though the sunnier ones do grow, rather more compactly. I think it probably grows to about 5 or 6 metres? It can certainly be trimmed and one almost pollarded could be interesting as it would feature the beautiful trunk more prominently.