zngow's Favorites

Weed in planter pots in nursery grounds. Plants appeared in coconut fiber used for plant potting mix. Coconut fiber is imported by New Zealand from overseas as an alternative to using peat and it is 'certified' as a safe, sustainable, 'sterile, weed / disease' free potting medium. However over the last summer 16 different tropical weed species have been found germinating from this 'sterile' potting mix at this nursery - much to the nursery owner's horror.

In this case the nursery owner has taken sensible precautions and has quarantined any seedlings germinating from the coconut fiber, had them identified and then destroyed.

However, their attempts to raise the matter with the relevant New Zealand Government Agencies have been ignored.

Currently this species of grass is not known to occur in New Zealand. Clearly its now here and the worry is that whilst this nursery has destroyed all plants they found have other nurseries using 'sterile' coconut fiber done the same?

Identification confirmed by K. Ford of Landcare Research (9 June 2016). Voucher lodged in CHR (G.R. Davidson & P.J. de Lange 13141)

Spreading by rhizomes into the walkway, from possible planted specimen in adjoining garden. Mature stems somewhat squared. Why does iNaturalist call this 'marble bamboo' - it's not marbled, but C. marmorea is!

Extensively suckering from stream and up hillslope, patch 30 x 50 m or more. A very invasive bamboo. Recorded as adventive in https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338091882_Additional_records_and_observations_of_monocotyledons_naturalised_or_casual_in_Manawatu_Ecological_Region_New_Zealand_1980-2019

Seedlings from planted parent plant which died after flowering. Recorded as adventive in https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338091882_Additional_records_and_observations_of_monocotyledons_naturalised_or_casual_in_Manawatu_Ecological_Region_New_Zealand_1980-2019

This is a native endemic plant on Isla Juan Fernandez (Robinson Crusoe Island) off the coast of Chile. The images show a male and female Juan Fernandez Firecrown feeding on this endemic plant. An iNat entry on the hummingbirds is at:
http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152136
These images are from scanned slides.

A singlerather decumbent small shrub growing in the gravel beside the road. Very well rooted. There appeared to be S. nigrum and S. chenopodioides growing nearby.My id is based on the following quote from the recent Phytokeys paper A revision of the Old World Black Nightshades (Morelloid clade of Solanum L., Solanaceae) by Sarkinen et alia

"Solanum furcatum can be distinguished from all other Old World species based on its branched inflorescences, anthers 2.3–3.3 mm long and flowers where styles are exserted up to 3.0 mm beyond anthers."

Not all of thje inflorescences are furcate so I will lodge a specimen in a herbarium and see what they make of it.