Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Alpines => Topic started by: kiwi on January 03, 2010, 01:29:25 AM
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Spent New Years day climbing Mount Stokes in the Marlborough Sounds. At 1204 metres Mt Stokes has the only alpine area in the Sounds and has a mixture of North and South Island alpine plants and a few that are confined to the mountain such as Celmisia macmahonii. Other Celmisia species included C.rutlandii and C.hieracifolia, though I need some help with some id.
Bright yellows of Brachyglottis, Ranunculus and Bulbinella were everywhere.
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The tops are surrounded with Olearia colensoi and a large alpine bog lies on one side of the ridge. Euphrasia and Donatia were in abundance.
A couple of shots of the bush, a massive Astelia over two metres high, and the rare NZ Giant Snail.
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Did I spot the spirit of Tolkein hovering over the bush, Doug? Evocative images as always.
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Doug,
Certainly an interesting day out, good selection of plants.
Paddy
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Thanks guys, love to share the photos. Lord of the Rings did come up once or twice Cliff, some of the trees looked as if they could spring into to life, especially the last one that was bending over backwards!
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Hi Doug,
It looks like you had a good trip up Mt Stokes; it would be an interesting place to visit. As for names it is a bit out of my territory but I think 7 is Ranunculus verticillatus, 9 and 10 are Bulbinella hookeri. I am guessing the magnificent Euphrasia in the second set is Euphrasia cuneata. How big was it? Euphrasia cuneata can grow up to 60cm tall.
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Lovely pictures Doug. A pity the Euphrasias are difficult to establish and grow, even from seed. So pleased the Giant snail is rare. :)
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Last day of the holidays for me so my daughter and I shot back up to cheeseman to catch the Penwipers in action. Its been a rough few weeks so they were not at their best. Within 5 minutes of getting up there the heavens opened up and along with the wind gusts, I had to make it a quick visit, especially with my lass tugging at my jacket to get a move on!
A nice Myosotis australis.
Stellaria roughii in flower.
A fiery Epilobium pynostachyum.
Notothlaspi rosulatum.
Hi David, loved your last trip photos. The Mt Stokes Euphrasia was about 20cm. Also I have this unusual mushroom popping up, can you id for me? (last photo) Cheers mate.
Hi Lesley, the snail in the photo is only average sized, they get much bigger!!!
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New years resolution - Take time to sniff the flowers!!!
Happy New year everyone.
Cheers, Doug.
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Hi Doug!
Great photos froma great trip - how old is your daughter?
I hope to make a similar trip with my 8 years old daughter
in March in Italy. Your photos will encourage her - I hope!
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Gidday Thomas, my daughter Sam, just turned 5 in December, shes loving the mountains, although today was pretty tough going for her. Heres a shot from our last trip together that she really enjoyed.
I hope your daughter enjoys the trip also.
All the best,
Doug.
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Kia Ora Doug.
Wow - 5 years and doing such a trip, my respect for Sam.
I'm sure if I show your photos to Celine, she will be animated for our trip in Italy.
I always love those trips with my kids and hope they will remember
well later when they are grown up.
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Hi Doug,
Lovely Stelleria; its nice to get a picture without too much contrast as is usual on these screes. Your fungus is a bird's nest fungus perhaps a species of Crucibulum. It grows on rotting wood.
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Fascinating stuff Doug !!! :o
Thanks so much for showing !!
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A very nice picture of Sam - with pet lamb. :D
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i remember the stellaria and notothlaspi from last year, love those two! among my favourite plants!
great that you can take your daughter--must be hard at some moments to choose whether to photograph her or the plants! hopefully time for both :)
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Hi Doug,
Very interesting photos of Mt Srokes. I can see Celmisia hieracifolia(the rusty coloured one) and C. rutlandii (the larger green one with rolled up leaves at the bottom. Did you see C macmahonii var macmahonii? When I visited 5 or so years ago I could not find it but maybe I did not look hard enough. Its only found on Mt Stokes as far as I know. Its a strange mountain because it only just pokes up high enough to get above tree line. All the alpines there may dissappear with global warming, if tree line gets any higher. The other threat I noticed was goats which seemed to be doing very well. There was a fence but it had fallen down and was useless at the time I visited. Its great to know that there are still plenty of alpines up there 5 years latter.
Nice to see your daughter likes the mountains, my daughter is 1 now and I hope to take her into the hills at some stage. She loves our garden and made appreciative nioses when I showed her a Mt cook Lily flowering. Hopfully I can take her up a mountain in the car if the weather gets better some day.
Ross
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Hi Doug,
Nice to see your daughter likes the mountains, my daughter is 1 now and I hope to take her into the hills at some stage. She loves our garden and made appreciative nioses when I showed her a Mt cook Lily flowering.
Ross
Hi Ross,
You should hear the noises I make when I see one flowering!!! :D
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Hi Cliff,
shes a good daughter, she chuckles and points at things in the garden, shes much more appreciative than my wife ::)
I will try and show you a pic of the plant when it was flowering at its best a month or so back. Its all gone to seed now.
Ranunculus lyallii
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I'm making the noises Ross! :P
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Hopfully I can take her up a mountain in the car if the wether gets better some day.
Ross
I wouldn't hurry Ross
This is what i found up country yesterday .Quite surprised how much snow there is about ---however the ridge i was on was clear and there were a number of 'weeds' ;) flowering ----as for Fiordland --well i've been waiting 3 weeks for a visit --when i drive to town most days i get a glimpse of their southern slopes --still heavy white stuff laying there even before this latest drop.
Brr !!.
Windswept beech.
Cheers Dave
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Hi Dave,
Yeah its pretty bad all right I saw a tornado when I was parked on the main street in Dunedin (it looked like it was over the sea) I got up Mcphees rock on the southern end of the Rock and Pillars before all this stuff came through.
a photo of tornado (?) in Dunedin 8 January
Some photos I took recently (technically from the 28th dec so should be in Dec field trips but I usually round up)
Dracophyllum uniflorum var. frondosum growing on the side of the Old Dunsten road on the way to Mcphees Rock
Celmisia sessiliflora Mcphees Rock
Celmisia argentea flowering sporadically this year
Aciphylla hectorii flowering well this year.
Aciphylla glaucescens growing on the side of the road South of Mossburn its flowering like crazy this year
Im still getting used to this camera so the photos are not that flash
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Not a tornado, just a really nasty but short, sharp hail storm. I was at a meeting in Ironic cafe by the railway station when it hit. The noise on the iron roof was astounding and the hail stones bouncing a metre into the air but it only lasted 10 mins then just regular rain. Still raining today (Sunday evening) and I'm loving every drop. :D
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Hi everyone. Dave, bummer about the conditions, don't worry Mt Arthur will warm you up next week.
Ross, the Mt Stokes Celmisia macmahonii is a mystery to me as I haven't any photos or drawings to id it from. I have a hundred photos from the day, ( every Celmisia that looked different) Do you or anyone else have a picture they could post? As for the fenced area up there - still pretty rough but it had kept the wild pigs from rooting up the area unlike the rest of the back faces. As far as the kids go, how could they not appreciate nature when our passion for plants rubs off on them everyday!
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Hi Doug,
there is a pic here:
http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.asp?ID=9 (http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.asp?ID=9)
It actually has some good info on the plant too. They say that the plant numbers are stable and that goats are being controlled also that specilist growers have the plant so hopefully it wont go extinct soon. Macmahonii hadfiedii which is more common looks a lot like a lighter coloured more fluffy phillocremna and grows as slowly as phillocremna but is easier.
Leslie: if you look at the top pic you can see what I was talking about: a dark extension from the bottom of the cloud base. It was tubular and moved from right to left before disappearing. If it was over the sea I guess it would be called a water spout and I couldnt tell if it reached the ground or whatever but it looked very like a tornado to me. I took 3 photos none very good granted but I know what I saw. Tornadoes do occur in NZ but usually not as destructive as in the USA and they usually occur in that kind of weather: thunder, hail etc.
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Guys, I believe the Celmisia is correctly named C. macmahonii.... no "h" after the first "c".... I have edited the posts accordingly. :)
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Sorry Mr Macmahon
I have always thought that it was an impoverished mind that can find only one way to spell a word. I should try harder though when peoples names are involved. :-[
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A little eccentricity is a wonderful thing, Ross, but it is not much use for folk searching a plant if the name is incorrect..... our search engine cannot cope with permutations! :P
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Ross, I wasn't doubting you, it certainly looks like a waterspout and they are known to occur in Otago caostal waters. I was jsut saying that by the time it reached the city it has lessened somewhat. The hail was pretty impressive though but no so bad as Invercargill's that day, when it truly looked like a good snowfall.
Did you ever see the waterspout drawing in one of Arthur Ransopme's books, could have been "Missee Lee," when the ship and all aboard her were caught and tossed in the air? Though just a kid's drawing, it showed very graphically what happens in such an event.
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Leslie: yeah it just seemed to go along the coast (probably over the sea) and only lasted briefly. I only mentioned it because I thought it was pretty cool and we were talking about how bad the weather was. I think its the best kind of tornado: one thats far away and does no damage. I had always wanted to see one and I never thought I would see one sitting in my car on the main street in Dunedin. Arthur Ransome is that swallowdale and cootclub etc I loved those books when I was a kid I wonder if I could persuade Chihiro to read them when she is older? They were kind of old fashioned even when I was young but great stories.
Yeah search engines are kinda weak that way. The human brain can recognise a word if only the first and last letter is spelt correctly.
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Yes, those books were Arthur Ransome all right. They're all in the Dunedin Public Library and even now I re-read every 5 years or so. If for no other reason they should be read by every parent who wraps his/here kids in cotton wool and won't let them do a thing without first evaluating health/safety/hygiene etc until the next generation of grown-ups will have no initiative and no sense of adventure at all and will be frightened to cross the road without someone to hold his/her hand. ??? :o ???
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yeah I agree those children in the books had a lot of freedom and thats why they was so appealing to me as a kid I guess.
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Finally after waiting near on 4 weeks the weather was suitable for a visit into Fiordland --sunny conditions were forecast but i was in ,(very thick at times), fog all day with no landmarks which tested the navigation skills in a number of spots .
Although a number of the big Celmisa sps are not going to flower this season i found plenty of other Genera including some lovely cushion plants in bloom.
The highlights were Ranunculus lyallii and R.buchananii --the moisture on the buchananii in particular gave them a wonderful frosted look.
I understand the AGS tour is visiting the area next week --i hope they have better weather and a number make the journey up onto the screes.
Cheers Dave
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Stunning mate, another plant to add to the must see list!!!
See you next week.
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Absolutely ruddy magnificent ... I just can't stop drooling (it's probably my age)! :D
A truly beautiful plant and image.
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Thanks Doug.
Cliff
There is still quite a lot of white stuff,(and i'm not talking about the plants :) ) , about up there, particularly where the Ranunculus grow --i carefully peeked under the side of a very thick snow bank and i could see numerous R.bucananii with buds formed ready to bloom so although it's such a magnificent sight at the moment,(i took 52 pics of the two species and their hybrid ), in another 2 or 3 weeks it should be even better --of course that is if the hares, grasshoppers etc don't get to them beforehand >:( .
(Doug and i are away for a look around Nelson,(top of South Island),early next week then meeting up with other NZAGS members on friday for a weekend in Northern Canterbury so there should be a few more 'postings' coming).
Cheers dave.
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Thanks Doug.
Cliff
There is still quite a lot of white stuff,(and i'm not talking about the plants :) ) , about up there, particularly where the Ranunculus grow --i carefully peeked under the side of a very thick snow bank and i could see numerous R.bucananii with buds formed ready to bloom so although it's such a magnificent sight at the moment,(i took 52 pics of the two species and their hybrid ), in another 2 or 3 weeks it should be even better.
... But can I get there in time? :P :P :P :P
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Hi everyone,
Just back from Central Otago after a week traveling around with some very good botanists. It is a humbling experience finding out how much one does not know. There was a foot of fresh snow on the Remarkables when we visited it so the weather has been a bit of a mixture. It can be challenging photographing a tiny Myosotis in the rain. I am off again in a couple of days again so in the meantime.
Here are the offerings for today (Sorry Cliff I have not edited any Ranunculus pictures tonight)
1 Craspedia lanata from the Pisa Range.
2 Pimelea aff sericeovillosa from the Pisa Range
3 Another Pimelea, Pimelea traversii from the Ida Range. I knew it was there but not in such abundance - you notice more plants when they are flowering. There were two other species present, Pimelea pseudolyallii and Pimelea oreophila so there was a fair bit of discussion about what was which.
4 Raoulia petriensis from the Ida Range
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Here are the offerings for today (Sorry Cliff I have not edited any Ranunculus pictures tonight)
You are forgiven David ... good things come to those who wait! :D :P :P
The Raoulia petriensis has a stunning structure, almost reminiscent of a rosulate viola?
Many thanks for posting.
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Absolutely ruddy magnificent ... I just can't stop drooling (it's probably my age)! :D
A truly beautiful plant and image.
No, Cliff, for once it is not your age or infirmity... that R.buchananii in the photo is an absolute cracker! Superb, t00lie, thanks! ! 8)
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Absolutely ruddy magnificent ... I just can't stop drooling (it's probably my age)! :
No, Cliff, for once it is not your age or infirmity...
'For once'? ... Oh, how could you? :'( :'( :'( :D
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The Raoulia petriensis has a stunning structure, almost reminiscent of a rosulate viola?
I did not show you the whole plant; here is a nice photogenic cushion. Most of them are a bit more straggly but you dont take picture of those ones. (its a bit like showing)
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David, the Raoulia petriensis is incredible, also love the woolly head. One of my favourates.
Have this shot of another Pimelea (I think, or is it a Hebe?) but I have no closer shots to accurately id.
Any Ideas? (Mt Stokes)
Cheers Doug.
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Pimelea I think Doug but not one I've ever met. Looks very good.
Cliff I was hoping you had some handy medication in order to calm the palpitatons. :D A stunning picture Dave. I'm looking forward to seeing the next batches.
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Hi Doug,
If it is subalpine I think it is Pimelea gnidia. P longifolia which is predominantly a lowland species is very similar.
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A stunning picture Dave. I'm looking forward to seeing the next batches.
Thanks Lesley
I went up into Northern Fiordland very early today--as it's a 7 hour journey ,(return), it's not an area i visit often.
I went primary in search of Ranunculus sericophyllus and it's hybrid with R.buchananii.
Unfortunately i was unable to reach the heights where i knew the plants flourish because of heavy snow , however i found a reasonable specimen of R sericophyllus lower down ,(I'll save showing this to give Cliffs heart a rest), ;D ---as well as a number of cracking other Genera.
The following are mainly scenery shots with one alpine,(shrub), included.
Cheers dave.
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oops --- following pic showing route up the valley after parking my truck.
Cheers dave.
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To photograph a buttercup first you have to find it. Three of us wallked over this patch of Ranunculus crithmifolius on the Ida Range before the fourth member of the party spotted them. (1,2)
Almost as hard to spot are Ranunculus maculatus (3,4)
and Ranunculus cheesemanii (5)
Ranunculus royi is not so difficult as it bigger
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Wow, David ... I've never even heard of R.royi, let alone seen it ... wonderful.
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Wow, David ... I've never even heard of R.royi, let alone seen it ... wonderful.
Me too - but all are new to me. Do the Dionaea trap - like leaves in pic no 4 also belong to the Ranunculus? Strange ciliated margins.
Gerd
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I finally got around to reading this thread and must say I really enjoyed looking at both the plants and the scenery.
I was absolutely gobsmacked by the Ranunculus buchananii pic as well as the Raoulia petriensis cushion.
Fantastic! ;D
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Hello All,
Cliff,
Ranunculus royi, maculatus and cheesemanii are all very modest little buttercups, not spectacular like Ranunculus lyallii and buchananii. The challenge is finding them and identifying them. There are another two Ranunculus multiscapus and Ranunculus foliosus that are very similar to Ranunculus royi and are quite common in grassland
Gerd,
The fringing hairs on Ranunculus cheesemanii do not have any particular function and the plant does not trap insects.
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Dave,
impressive pictures of the valley and great mountains view.
Was the valley formed by an ancient glacier due to its rounded shape?
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Stunning scenic pics Dave. Forget Cliff's heart, it can take its chances. We want to see the pictures. ;D
David, those would surely all make good damp rock garden plants? (Or scree garden for R. crithifolius. I had that as a potted plant for many years when I lived in Timaru, from the Dobson Range. Haven't grown it for years though.)
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Dave,
impressive pictures of the valley and great mountains view.
Was the valley formed by an ancient glacier due to its rounded shape?
Thanks all.
Armin
That is correct .
The ' u ' shaped valleys are typical of Fiordland .
Sorry no more pics from me in the meantime --i'm packed up and away in a few minutes to Christchurch for a weeks botanizing with Doug.
I understand David is planning to be away elsewhere in the hills as well --unfortunately the weather forecast for the South Island for the next few days isn't flash at all :'(
Cheers dave.
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Gerd,
The fringing hairs on Ranunculus cheesemanii do not have any particular function and the plant does not trap insects.
Quite amazing! Thank you Dave!
Gerd
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Thanks all.
i'm packed up and away in a few minutes to Christchurch for a weeks botanizing with Doug.
I understand David is planning to be away elsewhere in the hills as well
Cheers dave.
We'll all be avidly awaiting your return chaps !
Surely more wonders of nature to be seen here soon ! :D :D
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Thanks all.
i'm packed up and away in a few minutes to Christchurch for a weeks botanizing with Doug.
I understand David is planning to be away elsewhere in the hills as well
Cheers dave.
We'll all be avidly awaiting your return chaps !
Surely more wonders of nature to be seen here soon ! :D :D
Why? Has t00lie got a new pair of leggings? :o ;D
Late message from him, by the way.... their departure was delayed because the weather is playing up :(
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We'll all be avidly awaiting your return chaps !
Surely more wonders of nature to be seen here soon ! :D :D
Why? Has t00lie got a new pair of leggings? :o ;D
Actually... I was hoping for that Maggi ;D ;D
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Just back from a couple of short walks in the the Eyre Mountains. We did not find any Celmisia philocremna on the first day so we had to go to Mt Bee to find it. Saw a few other things though but it is too late to edit and post pictures tonight.
I will post one picture: the view at Mavora Lakes last Monday evening before we went up into the Eyres.
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Super atmospheric shot, David.
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Looks promising for a good night fishing ;D
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Dave,
impressive pictures of the valley and great mountains view.
Was the valley formed by an ancient glacier due to its rounded shape?
I really thought these valleys were formed more recently by the big boots of Dave Toole, tramping up and down. ;D
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We spent last Monday afternoon botanising round the headof North Mavora Lake. Here are some pictures of the area
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That looks incredibly isolated David and amazingly appealing.
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A wilderness to dream of (in the middle of Europe)!
Gerd
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Hi All,
Mavora Lakes are not exactly a wilderness. It is quite a popular camping spot (no facilities apart from toilets). People go fishing there. You are permitted to use power boats on the Northern lake but not on the Southern. However once you get away from the lakes and the roads you will not meet many people.
Now for the botanising
1. Aciphylla aff horrida Lomond. Lomond is the tag name for this large Aciphylla which is found on the Remarkables the Eyres and other mountain ranges around Lake Wakatipu. The flowering stem is very stout and massive and the leaf segments are quite wide.
2. Celmisia densiflora. This is a variable species and can look very different in different localities.
3. Kirkianella novae-zelandiae This a dandelion but is quite rare.
4. Epilobium microphyllum with its striped seed capsules. I am informed that Northern Hemisphere gardeners do not like it very much.
5. Acaena inermis A nicely coloured form growing amongst the stones.
6. Muehlenbeckia axillaris Also growing amongst the stones on a gravelly lakeside beach.
7,8,9. The sun orchid, Thelymitra cyanea, showing two different colour forms. It is not completely open as the sun is not out.
10 A rather modest grassland buttercup Ranunculus multiscapus. The black flower stems are characteristic of this species.
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Lovely images once again David ... are the Thelymitra in cultivation down there?
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David,
Re posting 63 - the first photograph of Lake Mavora - what are the two trees in the shot? Trees seem to be very scarce in this environment.
Paddy
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Cliff,
You cannot buy Thelymitras in the garden shop. I hesitate to say they are not in cultivation as last time I said something was not in cultivation two people made a point of telling me they had it growing in their gardens. I have a couple of plants at the end of my drive but they arrived by themselves. Frequently you never see the flowers as they need warm sunny days to open. However they can be found growing in their thousands in some localities.
Paddy,
The trees are shrubs of Dracophyllum longifolium. If you look in picture 4 of the same post you can see a patch of forest upstream where the valley forks. This is the infamous 'Shirker's Bush" so called because a number of men choose to spend the duration of the first world war there rather than at Gallipoli or in France. The valley floor is well below treeline and there are large tracts of mountain beech forest( Nothofagus solandri var clifffortioides) further down the valley on the lakeshore. Much of the valley is occupied by shrubland (Discaria, Coprosma sp, Olearia sp, Podocarpus hallii) as in the photo showing the large Aciphylla.
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Many of the little native ground orchids sometimes arrive in the garden in commercial potting mix ingredients. Though I don't have either now, both Thelymitra longifolia which is white-flowered and the little green bird orchid Chiloglottis (?cuneata) arrived in different consignments of crushed pine bark fines. A Dunedin friend had Corybas colonise in her garden from a similar purchase. I've also heard of the blue orchids arriving in peat from Southland, but not to me. The Thelymitras, like violas, can produce their seed without flowers opening and even without any sun and pollination, will still make lots of fertile seed, so small as to be almost as fine as talc.
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So far this post I have shown only the rats and mice. Our object this trip was to get up into the Eyre Mountains and find some of the rarer, more unusual New Zealand alpines.
The approach was via Gorge Creek seen on picture 1. We left the vehicle where the creek crosses the road and walked up through the gorge hidden by the patch of bush bottom left and gained the spur leading up into the upper basins on Hummock Peak. View is looking directly back down Gorge Creek.
Picture 2 is taken part way up the spur where the vegetation is still dominated by Chionochloa tussocks, Aciphylla aff horrida 'Lomond' and various shrubs. The large hemispherical shrub in the foreground is Hebe propinqua.
A little higher we came into an area of rock bluffs and crags; here the vegetation became a bit more interesting.
3, 4 is Gaultheria crassa which was abundant on the bluffs.
5, 6 is Anemone tenuicaulis also abundant in the damp areas below the bluffs.
7 Kellaria dieffenbachii
8 Anisotome capillifolia (it is not as large as some of the plants I have seen further west but it is relatively abundant on the cooler damper site on the rock bluffs)
9.10 Raoulia buchananii with it red flowers
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Absolutely stunning cushion Raoulia, David.
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Gaultheria crassa, one to drool over. I want it. I want it.
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David,
really fascinating species - thanks for showing us!
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A long, exhausting week of alpine botanizing with the NZAGS and Dave, from Canterbury through to Nelson. The weather wasn't the best but we managed to find some of the most delicious plants I have seen. Thanks to all that came along.
Swainsona novae-zelandiae
Raoulia in flower
A massive Stellaria roughii
Finally! Lobelia roughii
The mother of all Penwipers!
Celmisia semicordata - what a plant!
One of my Favourates, Leucogenes grandiceps.
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Ranunculus insignis.
Pterostylis sp.
Dave photographing Helichrysum intermedium.
A divine Lignocarpa carnosula.
Anisotome pilifera.
Raoulia bryoides.
A beautiful run of Astelia.
Eye catching Celmisa incana.
Dave sporting his new long johns! Dracophyllum traversii.
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Astonishing and fascinating plants growing in this wild NZ landscape - wonderful to see, thanks to your ventures :)
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Breathtaking plants and views !! :o :o :o
Wonderful stuff !
Thanks a lot Doug !! Hope there's more to come.. ;)
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Martin,
Gaultheria crassa was growing all over the bluffs and flowering in profusion. It is reasonably common throughout the alpine areas.
Absolutely stunning cushion Raoulia, David.
Cliff, I thought you had eyes only for Ranunculus. Here is the ugly duckling of the genus, Ranunculus scrithalis, an Eyre Mountains endemic. It is found on clayey screes. The foliage appears darker to the view than it does in the photograph - the eye and the camera see it a little differently.
4, 5. Haastia sinclairii var fulvida growing on the same scree.
6. Stellaria roughii Eyre Mountains form. It looks very different from the Canterbury form that Doug just posted.
7. Brachyglottis revolutus showing the flowers.
8, 9. Euphrasia revolutus (That's my identification from the photos- I think we thought it was Euphresia dyeri on the day).
10 Geum cockaynei ( formerly known as Geum parviflorum).
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Re Gaultheria crassa Martin all I can say is ME TOO.
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Looks as if it has been a quite good flowering season. Great pictures boys!
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Some more plants from the Eyre Mountains;
1 Geum uniflorum
2 An Epilobium (possibly Epilobium macropus).
3 Dracophyllum prostratum (usually found in bogs - this one must have plenty of moisture not withstanding).
4, 5 Pachycladon wallii The plants were growing in crevices in the rock well out of the reach of browsing animals.
6. Ourisia caespitosa
7, 8 Ourisia spathulata
9 Kelleria croizatii
10 Aciphylla spedenii. This distinctive Aciphylla is an Eyre Mountains endemic. We found this plant and then found a second specimen so it does not appear to be very common.
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Super plants and images as always, David. A beautiful little Kelleria and a stunning A. spedenii.
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Cliff,
Pleased you like the Kelleria and Aciphylla. I am running a bit short on buttercups. I was quite thrilled finding the Aciphylla spedenii as it is a very rare plant.
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I saw A. spedenii in Tromsų botanics early spring last year. Much earlier in the season than your fine shot, but it looks as though it's correctly marked.
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Hi Stephen,
Yes it is correctly marked. In your shot you can see the distinctive arrangement where the stipules and leaf segments fan out from the top of the leaf base.
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Wonderful Pics david --so much so i just have to see Ranunculus scrithalis in person --the weather looks okay for tomorrow so it will be an early start --hopefully there will still be some in bloom......
In the meantime just a couple of pics from our trip up into Nelson last week.
The Dracophyllum traversii forest was wonderful.
Doug beside a nice specimen.
An impressive waterfall on the journey home.
Cheers dave.
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Dave,
Here are a couple of scenic shots (to show you the way).
1. Looking up Gorge Creek into the heart of the Eyre Mountains.
2. Looking down onto the scree where the Ranunculus scrithalis was growing.
3. Looking back down the Oreti River. ( For those in the northern hemisphere the Oreti River flows into the sea not far from Dave's place.) It was near here where we saw a New Zealand falcon. The bird came down to investigate us flying a couple of metres above our heads. They can be quite aggressive when they are defending their nests but this one just came to have a look. When they are flying falcons are totally silent so you cannot hear them above you. This particular falcon was entirely black on its upper surface.
Some more plants
4. Celmisia verbascifolia
5. Chionohebe ciliolata var fiordensis
6,7. Myosotis lyallii/elderi
8,9. Myosotis macrantha These plants were growing in a rock crevice out of the reach of browsing animals (and of photographers0 I hand held the camera and used the flash to take the photos.
10. Parahebe decora I found this plant on the way down in the rubbly gully we were using for our descent route. Not a particularly good photo as I was getting a little weary by this stage and the wind was blowing.
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My goodness, you NZers never let us down with your great views and wonderful plants. 8)
I am intriqued by the name of the Ranunculus srcithalis ..... can you tell me what scrithalis means?
The Myosotis macrantha is quite 'other'....... almost looks like a cross between a primula and an ourisia!
Now, I know you had trouble reaching for the photo... but perhaps you know from previous experience.... is it scented?
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Hi Maggi,
There are not enough days in the year to look at all the mountains and all the plants- you only get vignettes. ( the two Eyre mountains excursions involved too much walking to do much photography)
"scrithalis" refers to the scree habitat of this particular Ranunculus.
Myosotis macrantha is widespread but is not particularly common. Having said that someone told me about seeing the plant growing like daisies on a lawn behind Larrikin Creek hut on the Thousand Acre plateau. When I was there last year I found only one plant. The flowers come in a wide range of shades generally in combinations of red/brown/gold. My guess is that it is scented. Dave might know as he is good a picking up scented flowers on account of the way he photographs them - he drew my attention to a tiny scented Leptinella on one occasion
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"Only vignettes"they may be from your wide land of plenty, David, but , my goddness, what a rare delight they provide for those of us far away. 8)
In my scratching around I was able to find the original description of the ranunculus, from 1987 :
Ranunculus scrithalis Described by Garnock-Jones (1987, N.Z. Journal of Botany 25:126).
I was also able to find that agreat number of these journals are freely accessible from this website:
http://www.royalsociety.org.nz/Site/publish/Journals/nzjb/default.aspx
Nice resource to make note of, folks!!
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Nice resource to make note of, folks!!
Many hours of searching and study there, Maggi.
I may be away for some time ....!