New Zealand Field Trips April 2007

[David Lyttle]

Although it is getting late in the season it is still possible to get out and about on the good days like today. These pictures were taken on a family excursion along the Old Dunstan Road which runs behind and west of the Rock and Pillar Range. It picks up the Taieri River at a place called Paerau which is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. At this point the Taieri is flowing northwards but then it takes a bend around the northern flank of the Rock and Pillar Range and then flows southwards eventually reaching the sea south of Dunedin.

The first picture is from the Old Dunstan Road looking north towards the St Bathans Range. The road traverses a great upland plateau covered in snow tussock (Chionochloa rigida)

The second picture is looking down towards Paerau which is physically located upstream and to the left of the large reservoir. There was a goal and a pub there in former times. The second creek entering from the right is called Styx Creek. Obviously someone thought it was an appropriate name.

The third picture is looking across the upper Taieri Basin to the Kakanui Range.

The fourth picture is of the Pocupine shrub Melicytus alpinus. This plant is actualy a member of the Violaceae.

The fifth picture shows details of the fruit and branches of Melicytus alpinus.  The fruit are borne on the undersides of the branches - apparently they are eaten by lizards and are dispersed by these creatures rather than by birds.

The sixth picture is of Nertera depressa growing in a spaghnum bog. Nertera is closely related to Coprosma and some authorities consider the two genera indistinguishable.

The seventh picture is a fruiting plant of the common ericaceous plant Gaultheria macrostigma.

Final picture is of a small gentian growing in a bog. I find gentians very difficult to identify so am not willing to supply a name.

[David Lyttle]

Having some trouble with posting. Pictures are as follows

[Maggi Young]

Really enjoying these trips "with you", David! It looks like great country for horse-riding.

The fruits of the Melicytus alpinus are strange, they look like fat, coloured ticks.
I recall when I first learned that this was in the family violaceae, I found it hard to believe. Like some of the "soft" members of the berberidaceae, seems somewhat unlikely!

[Paddy Tobin]

David,

You certainly have some unusual and interesting plants. That porcupine plant strikes me as the wrong place to sit for lunch?

Many thanks for the photographs and the account to go with them.

Paddy

[David Nicholson]

Excellent pictures David I thoroughly enjoyed them.

[David Lyttle]

Maggi

It is great country for horse riding Every year there is a Cavalcade where groups of riders, wagons, walkers etc start of from different points and converge on one locality. It has become very poular over the years to the extent that my wife Belinda is trying to line me up for it. Since I distrust anything equine I am not easily persuaded.

Paddy,

The spines of Melicytus are blunt and would be unlikely to break the skin. The whole plant is rigid with very robust short branches giving it a very remarkable appearance. Another related species, Melicytus flexuosus, is even more bizzare - it is a small upright shrub with virtually no leaves and all its branches ending in blunt spines. Sorry I do not have a photo to post. I will post another picture of Melicytus alpinus showing better detail of the branches. Other species Melicytus ramiflorus, Melicytus lanceolatus are small trees and not particularly notable in appearance.

I have tried to key out the gentian with no luck.

[SueG]

Hi David
I've just germinated seeds of Melicytus obovatus so it is good to get some idea of what it might look like! Really enjoyable pictures.
Sue

[David Lyttle]

Hi Sue

Melicytus obovatus is a small shrub and not in the least bit spiny - I have some growing myself and can post a picture but will need to take it first. It is described as a small shrub up to 1.5m tall. The taxonomy of Melicytus is a little fraught. There are four iterations of Melicytus obovatus illustrated in Eagle's Complete Trees and Shrubs of New Zealand 2006 edition. This means that there may be multiple taxa involved but they have not yet been formally described and published in a peer reviewed journal. There are similarly eight  iterations of Melicytus alpinus illustrated. To confuse the picture still further the small shrubby species of Melicytus tend to be quite plastic in their growth forms, plants growing in sheltered shaded positions tend to have a very different appearance than plants growing in exposed, open positions.

[Paddy Tobin]

David,

Good Lord, that is a  most unusual shrub. What an extraordinary growth habit. Are there any environmental factors which might have led to this development? Is it a protection against grazers?

From a garden perspective, I suppose it would fit into the 'oddity' rather than beautiful category.

Many thanks for the further photograph and the explanatory note. Much appreciated.

Paddy

[SueG]

The taxonomy of Melicytus is a little fraught.

A masterpiece of understatement! I look forward to getting mine a bit bigger and seeing what they look like. The seed was from Plantworld in Devon, so I guess will reflect their stock plants, whatever they look like.

thanks

Sue

[David Lyttle]

Paddy,

There are two possible factors that could perhaps have  contributed to the evolution of  the spine cushion form of Melicytus alpinus. The first was that during the Pleistocene glaciations the climate was cool, windy and dry, all factors that would have contributed to evolution of small leathery of leaves and a low growth habit. The other factor that has gained currency in recent times is the effects of moa browsing. The moa Pachyornis elephantopus weighed up to 150 kg, stood 1 metre tall and had a body 0.7 metres wide. With chooks like that roaming around it is easy to imagine why Melicytus alpinus evolved the form it did.

Sue

Here are a couple of pictures of Melicytus obovatus -  one showing the general form of a young shrub and the other a closeup of the leaves. Hope this gives you some idea of how your plants will turn out.

[Maggi Young]

With chooks like that roaming around

More understatement! And irony! To call a Moa a chook is to call me Aberdeen's answer to Olga Korbut!!

[t00lie]

Still looks very dry up your way David--not so down here.As you mention it's getting a bit late in the season however i managed one final  (seed collecting trip last weekend in marginal conditions .

A pleasant surprise was the quantity and quality of seed found, especially the plumpness of Celmisia coriacea.

In spite of low cloud and mist which at times tested navigation skills until the wind got up, a few plants, all very wet from many days of previous rain ,were sighted.

Firstly --A drenched harebell--Wahlenbergia albomarginata.

South Island edelweiss--Leucogenes grandiceps.

A nice clump of Haastia sinclarii.
I lifted the very loose rock it was growing under to expose the extensive root system.

I wouldn't mind this stream bed in my backyard--it's just crying out to be landscaped further.Brrr its cold.

Forstera bidwillii grows easily down here at sea level in a cool crevice bed.

[t00lie]

A few more--
You have all seen shots of Aciphylla crosby-smithii before.Thought you might like this perspective of raindrops on its foliage.

Hebe species--not sure of the id.Maybe H. cockayeana.

Now where am i ?.

A view of one of the many Tarns .It's interesting how acute ones hearing becomes and the mind starts playing tricks in mist .I comment because i heard a noise and peeked around the corner just in time to catch a glimpse of what i thought was a chook fleeing ,bounding over rocks completing a double flip Olga style,(judges score 9/10). .Or was it a Hare?.

Lax form of Celmisia sessilifolia.Growing nearby was C. hectorii.

A number of Aciphylla pinnatifida still in bloom.I have heard it said you either like or hate the plant.What's there not to like!. .

Celmisia verbascifolia.

A woolleyhead--Craspedia uniflora.

Finally--an idea of typical plant community-
A. pinnatifida and the white flowering Dolichoglottis scorzoneriodes .Both preferring permanently moist sites--in fact it's not uncommon to find roots and basal growths submerged in flowing water.
In drier spots --grasses and the silver grey mats of Celmisia hectorii draped over a rock.

That's all the field trips till next season--have i mentioned how wet it was..........

Cheers Dave.

[t00lie]

oops pushed the wrong button.Continuing with the pics.

Cheers Dave.