emmarowell_214's Favorites

Thanks to @christopherstephens and @emmarowell_214 for initially finding these wee gems and being kind enough to share. After a good scratch around about 100 specimens were found growing mostly in isolation with just a few in clumps as recorded by Christopher. The association is not clear as there was Rimu, Kohekohe, Tawa, and nearish mature Nikau, but only seedlings amongst the orchids, as well as a lot of Icarus filiformis on the ground and Metrosideros perforata... Plants were fruiting, flowering and budding, suggesting a very much staged maturity in this location... very cool!!! =)

Common weed at northern settlement where it grows along the foreshore, in rough pasture, and in mown ground near settlements. Also present in coastal scrub within Nature Reserve boundaries. The race present on the island has cleistogamous flowers only.

Voucher: P.J. de Lange 13782, AK 368408

Sadly this aggressive grass is now thoroughly established along the northern coast and lower altitude forest of Kapiti Island. Where present it has displaced many of the indigenous herbs, grasses and smaller ferns and I suspect it may be responsible for some local extinctions, e.g., Leptinella spp, Myosotis brevis.

Abundant and spreading southwards along coastline south of Rangatira.

Single specimen noted and destroyed. Growing below track on margin of rawirinui (Kunzea robusta) forest. This species had been reported from this general area in 2010 and had been believed eradicated. Occurrences probably derived from wind dispersed see from nearby Horowhenua coastline (c. 5 km distant) where this species is well established

Voucher: P.J. de Lange 13970, AK

Young wilding tree 4 m tall growing on side of Waiorua Stream. No adults seen in the area - presumably self-established from bird dispersed fruits, either from the nearby mainland (where this tree is common) or from somewhere in the Waiorua Settlement (private land).

This is a serious environmental weed for Kapiti Island.

Voucher: P.J. de Lange 13774, AK 368397

One patch growing on side of Waiorua Stream within Waiorua Settlement. Probably planted but nevertheless an undesirable weed on Kapiti Island. No sign of flowering or fruiting but this species does on the adjacent mainland so I can think of no reason why it would not on Kapiti Island.

Single vine noted scrambling over mapou (Myrsine australis), wharangi (Melicope ternata) and rawirinui (Kunzea robusta). Another serious environmental weed whose full extent I could not gauge as it occurs on private land.

Voucher: P.J. de Lange 13778, AK 368404

Planted on Kapiti Island by A.S. Wilkinson in the 1920s and now thoroughly naturalized along eastern coastline. Potentially a threat to the truly indigenous coastal vegetation - such as puha (Sonchus kirkii), Blechnum blechnoides, Euphorbia glauca, Lepidium tenuicaule, Lpeidium oleraceu, Leptinella diocia agg - taxa not seen during this survey but possibly present in the southern part of the island that was not yet surveyed.

From this image it is impossible to confirm A. cirratum (you need inflorescences) so I base my determination on flowering herbarium material I have seen from Kapiti Island, and the uniformity of the plants noted there during the April Botanical Survey.

Pennantia baylisiana x P. corymbosa (known also as P. 'Otari Debut').

One of the more bizarre plantings on the island. A single tree growing in old orchard. Obviously a recent planting on the island as this hybrid (which first appeared spontaneously near the parent species at Otari Native Plant Gardens, Wilton, Otari) has only been known about since the late 1980s.

Voucher: P.J. de Lange 13943, AK, WELT

Naturalized on the flats around Rangatira. Another species introduced to the island by A.S. Wilkinson in the late 1920s.

Seedlings filiramulate.

Species not indigenous to Kapiti Island and as it is weedy and presents a risk to the indigenous flora it is being actively controlled.

Voucher: P.J. de Lange 13712, AK 368297

Locally common along tracks on boulder bank and in places where water temporarily ponds. New record for island - only noted on the boulder bank and along the northern coast.

Voucher: P.J. de Lange 13914, AK

Not sure on identification here - and specimens were collected. Mostly seen as dried off plants but some still growing. Common on slip scars, open coastal scrub and in wasteland near northern end of island.

Northern-most occurrence of Melicytus novae-zelandiae subsp. novae-zelandiae on Kapiti Island (see also http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/6042011). Coastal Mahoe was planted on the island by A.S. Wilkinson in the 1920s - it is not indigenous to the southern half of the North Island, or the South, Stewart and Chatham Islands.

= Lysimachia arvensis (L.) U.Manns & Anderb. subsp. arvensis

Manns, U.; Anderberg, A.A. 2009: New combinations and names in Lysimachia (Myrsinaceae) for species of Anagallis, Pelletiera and Trientalis. Willdenowia 39: 49-54

Common through wasteland, near sites of human habitation and along coastal tracks and vegetated parts of boulder banks.

Apologies for awful image. All plants seen with uniformly orange-red flowers.

Only known occurrence on Kapiti Island, which is, despite attempts to eradicate, just hanging on.

As there is no voucher specimen for this weed for the island I did my best to help eradication by making a nice herbarium specimen of all that I could find....

Sapling growing under whauwhaupaku (Pseudopanax arboreus) in coastal shrubland near helipad. This is the first evidence that puriri has started to naturalize on Kapiti Island, where it is not indigenous and where it was planted by A.S. Wilkinson in the 1920s/

Casual (garden escape) within remains of former Island Ranger house gardens. I assume this is correctly identified to species rank - my determination is based on what is recorded as naturalized and 'common' in New Zealand but I am no Kniphofia expert.

I took material home to Auckland to cultivate until flowering - the images here are from that specimen, and they will form the basis of a herbarium specimen to be lodged in AK.