This article relates to the flora of New Zealand, especially indigenous strains. New Zealand's geographical isolation has meant the country has developed a unique variety of native flora. However, human migration has led to the importation of many other plants (generally referred to as 'exotics' in New Zealand) as well as widespread damage to the indigenous flora, especially after the advent of European colonisation, due to the combined efforts of farmers and specialised societies dedicated to importing European plants and animals.
Characteristics Indigenous New Zealand flora generally has the following characteristics: the majority are evergreen. few annual herbs. few cold-tolerant trees. majority are dispersed by birds. very few have defences against mammalian browsers. few nitrogen fixing plants. few fire-adapted species. many dioecious species. flowers are typically small and white. many plants have divaricating growth forms. many plants have evolved into larger forms compared with similar plant families in other countries.
List of plants
Trees and shrubs
Akeake Bartlett's rātā or rātā moehau Beech (Nothofagus) Bog pine Broom Cabbage tree or Tī rākau / Tī kōuka Coprosma Daisy bush Dracophyllum Five finger Fuchsia or Kōtukutuku Hebes Horopito Kahikatea or White Pine Kaka Beak Kanuka Kapuka or Broadleaf Karaka Karamū Karo Kauri Kawakawa Kohekohe Kohuhu Kōwhai Kumaraho Lacebark Lancewood or Horoeka Lemonwood or Tarata Mahoe or Whiteywood Maire Manawa or white or grey mangrove Mānuka or tea tree Māpou or red matipo Matagouri Mataī or black pine Mingimingi Miro Manoao or silver pine Mountain tōtara Neinei Ngaio Nīkau Northern rātā Olearia Ongaonga or Tree nettle Patē or Seven Finger Other Pittosporums Pōhutukawa Poroporo or Bullibulli Puka Putaputāwētā or marbleleaf Rangiora or Bushman's friend Rewarewa or New Zealand honeysuckle Ribbonwood or Manatu Rimu or Red Pine Southern rātā Tanekaha Taraire Tawa tītoki Toatoa Toru Tōtara Tetrapathaea tetrandra Tutu Yellow pine Whau Wineberry or Makomako
Ferns
While most of the world's ferns grow in tropical climates, New Zealand hosts an unusual number of ferns for a temperate country. These exhibit a variety of forms, from stereotypical feather-shaped tufted ferns and tree ferns to less typical filmy, leafy and climbing ferns. Both the koru, in the shape of an unfurling fern frond, and the silver fern are widely accepted symbols of New Zealand.
New Zealand has ten species of tree ferns, but there are numerous ground, climbing and perching smaller ferns to be found throughout the countries forests, the largest of which is the king fern. Silver fern or ponga, Cyathea dealbata New Zealand tree fern, Dicksonia squarrosa Black tree fern or mamaku, Cyathea medullaris Tuokura, Dicksonia lanata Kuripaka, Dicksonia fibrosa Mountain tree fern, Cyathea colensoi Gully tree fern, Cyathea cunninghamii Soft tree fern, Cyathea smithii King fern, Ptisana salicina Prince of Wales fern, Leptopteris superba Hound's tongue fern, Microsorum pustulatum Kidney fern or raurenga, Trichomanes reniforme Hen and chickens fern, Asplenium bulbiferum Hanging spleenwort, Asplenium flaccidum Mangemange, Lygodium articulatum
Seaweeds New Zealand is impacted by a diversity of sea water systems including the ocean fronts the Tasman Front, the Subantartic Front, and the Subtropical Front. These each have different properties have a significant influence on the seaweed flora of the long coastlines of New Zealand. There are around 900 species of seaweed that occur in the New Zealand region but it's likely that there are species that have yet to be formally described or discovered. A commonly found seaweed is Neptune's necklace.
The red seaweeds belong to the following family and genera: . . Erythrotrichiaceae. Pyrophyllon, 2 species. Bangiaceae 'Bangia', more than 12 species. Dione, 1 species. Minerva, 1 species 'Bangiales blades', about 35 species. Clymene, 1 species. Pyropia, 5 species. Hildenbrandiaceae Apophlaea, 2 species. Hildenbrandia, poorly known. Balliaceae. Ballia, 1 species. Corallinaceae. Corallina, 1 species. Jania, 4 species. Lithophyllum, 2 species. Pneophyllum, 1 species Spongites, 1 species Hapalidiaceae Mesophyllum, 1 species Phymatolithon, 1 species Synarthrophyton, 2 species Sporolithaceae Heydrichia, 1 species
Liagoraceae Liagora, 1 species Nemalion, 1 species Scinaiaceae Nothogenia, 3 species Scinaia, 1 species Bonnemaisoniaceae Asparagopsis, 1 species Delisea, 3 species Ptilonia, 2 species Callithamniaceae Euptilota, 4 species Ceramiaceae Centroceras, 1 species Pterothamnion, 1 species Dasyaceae Dasya, 1 species Heterosiphonia, 1 species Delesseriaceae Abroteia, 1 species Acrosorium, 2 species Lomentariaceae Lomentaria, 2 species Rhodymenaceae Rhodymenia, 3 species
Liverworts New Zealand has a greater density of liverworts than any other country, due to its cool, wet and temperate climate. About half the species are endemic to New Zealand.
There are 606 species known in New Zealand. While these include some thallose liverworts, with liver-shaped thalli, most are leafy liverworts which can be confused with mosses and filmy ferns. Undescribed species, and those not previously recorded in New Zealand, continue to be found in lowland forests. Ninety species and varieties are listed on the 2001 Department of Conservation threatened plants list, and 157 liverwort species and varieties will be included on the next version of the list as a result of better knowledge of the group.
A three-volume work on liverworts in New Zealand is being written by John Engel and David Glenny, with the first volume published in 2008.Engel, J. J. and Glenny, D. 2008 A flora of the liverworts and hornworts of New Zealand. Monographs in systematic botany volume 110, Missouri Botanic Gardens Press, Missouri. The first volume will also be placed online in June 2009 as part of Floraseries.David Glenny, New Zealand's liverworts, no longer a forgotten group, Te Taiao, Number 6, July 2006, ISSN 1176-2454
Grasses There are 187 species of native grasses in New Zealand: 157 endemic and 30 indigenous species.
The grasses belong to the following tribes and genera:
Ehrharteae Microlaena, 4 species Zotovia, 3 species Stipeae Achnatherum, 1 species Anemanthele, 1 species Austrostipa, 1 species Poeae Austrofestuca, syn. of Poa Festuca, 10 species Poa, 38 species Puccinellia, 4 species Agrostideae Agrostis, 10 species Amphibromus, 1 species Deschampsia, 5 species Deyeuxia, 5 species Dichelachne, 4 species Echinopogon, 1 species Hierochloe, 7 species Koeleria, 3 species Lachnagrostis, 12 species Trisetum, 9 species Simplicia, 2 species
Hordeeae Australopyrum, 1 species Elymus, 7 species Stenostachys, 3 species Danthonieae Chionochloa, 22 species Cortaderia (Toetoe), 5 species Pyrrhanthera, 1 species Rytidosperma, 18 species Chlorideae Zoysia, 2 species Leptureae Lepturus, 1 species Paniceae Cenchrus, 1 species Oplismenus, 1 species Spinifex, 1 species Isachneae Isachne, 1 species Andropogoneae Imperata, 1 species
Mosses There are 523 known moss species and 23 varieties in New Zealand, with 208 genera represented. 108 species and 11 genera are considered endemic. Most New Zealand mosses originated in Gondwana, so there are strong relationships with species in Tasmania, South-eastern Australia, and temperate parts of South America. The endemic genera are:
Beeveria Bryobeckettia Bryodixonia Cladomnion
Crosbya Cryptopodium Dichelodontium Fifea
Hypnobartlettia Mesotus Tetracoscinodon
Sphagnum moss is also of economic importance.
Other
Bush lawyer Celmisia (Mountain Daisy) Megaherbs Nine species of mistletoe, including Peraxilla colensoi, Peraxilla tetrapetala, Alepis flavida, and the extinct Trilepidea adamsii (last seen in 1954). Two species of Drosera, including Drosera arcturi and the endemic Drosera stenopetala. Mount Cook Lily New Zealand flax New Zealand spinach (Kokihi) Nīkau Palm Pingao Sison amomum, commonly known as stone parsley Raupō or bulrush Supplejack Tecomanthe speciosa Wood rose
See also Environment of New Zealand Biodiversity of New Zealand List of trees native to New Zealand Hebe Society
References
External links
http://www.nzflora.info/index.html - Flora of New Zealand
Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture. Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand. New Zealand Plant Names Database Bushmansfriend:NZ native plant information New Zealand Plant Conservation Network Native New Zealand Plants, University of Auckland
External links for Identification tools for plants http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/resources/identification/plants/grass-key (a Lucid multi-access key to naturalised and indigenous grasses of New Zealand) Multi-access key to the flowering plant genera of New Zealand Identification tools for New Zealand plants