Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Travel / Places to Visit => Topic started by: t00lie on January 05, 2011, 11:57:23 PM
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Just spent the last two days in Fiordland --would have been 3 days however we were 'rained off' late last night and the forcast is not flash with very heavy rain predicted.
Managed to pop into see David Lyttle and other members of the Botanical Society for an hour or so on Tuesday night.They have been in that area for a week so i'm sure David will have plenty of pics to share .
In the meantime here are a few ...
Track ?. ::)
Ranunculus sericophyllus.
Aciphylla with a view .
Cheers dave
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Enjoying the views there Dave, keep em coming!
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It was nice to catch up with Dave on Tuesday even though I was not in a fit state to hold a coherent conversation with anybody as I had just arrive back in camp from the Boyd Creek tops at 8.45 pm. I was not even sure I wanted to eat the dinner that my Bot Soc friends had kindly kept for me.
A sample of the sights;
1 Gertrude Valley on the slabs above Black Lake.
2 View from Key Summit with Mt Christina on the left.
3 Dracophyllum menziesii on the Livingstone Range (we recorded six different species of Dracophyllum that day)
4 Hebe macrantha on the Livingstone Range
5 Dolichoglottis scorzoneroides, Mt Burns
6 Astelia nivicola, Mt Burns (this is the first time I have seen it fruiting)
7 Ranunculus buchananii, Mt Burns
8 Ranunculus buchananii , Mt Burns
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As ever, wonderful to view photographs of your outings.
Many thanks, Paddy
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Splendid as ever David. I enjoy your trips nearly as much as you do!!! :D
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beautiful!
astelia looks quite interesting!
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Thanks so much for the fantastic pictures we are looking forward to a visit from Steve Newall in Feb have warned him to bring warm clothes and BOOTS we had minus 9c today with a little bit of snow it was Baltic. cheers Ian the Christie kind
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Get plenty of single malt in stock, Ian ... and please pass on my best wishes when he arrives! :D
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Greetings All and happy New Year.
Paddy, Thank you for your kind comments.
Cliff, I am not quite sure what to say. You must have OD ed on NZ buttercups by now. However the Ranunculus buchananii was magnificent on Mt Burns this year and seeing it flowering gave me and my friends much enjoyment.
Cohan, Astelia nivicola was one of the several species of Astelia I saw on the day. The others were A. nervosa, A. petriei and A. linearis. The latter is a small plant that forms extensive turfs in bogs. I find there is simply not enough time to photograph everything.
Ian, It is a pity you were not able to get to Mt Burns on your visit. The flowering of the small Aciphyllas (Aciphylla crosby-smithii especially) is exceptional this year.
Here are a few bits and pieces
1 The curious Dracophyllum fiordense
2 Aciphylla ' lomondii ' and Dracophyllum longifolium
3 Anisotome capillifolia
4 Anisotome pilifera
5 Mazus radicans
6,7 Thelymire cyanea found in bogs
8 A small orchid Microtis oligantha
9 Stellaria roughii from the screes at the head if Boyd Creek
10 Celmisia semicordata from the Gertrude Valley
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thanks, david, i still have to look up Astelia, having never heard of the genus!
the Anisotome are also cool, though nothing is cooler than that Stellaria, love it every time i see it! it will have to wait till i build that alpine house! ;)
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David, amazing scenery shots, stunning plants, cheers mate. Key Summit is going on the top of my TO DO list!
Dave, gotta love that R.sericophyllus, I guess it may have to wait one more season! ;)
Going to have a look up in the Otaira this week so you never know your luck.
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Some nice pics David ----the scenery especially in the Aciphylla lomondii/Draco longifolium shot looks interesting ... Boyd Creek??.
Best of luck this weekend Doug --i was in the company of a couple of Scottish visitors for the last two days--managed to visit a couple of Ranges and show them a few 'weeds'. :)
Cheers Dave.
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Just home from another two days exploration this time to Central Otago and the St Bathans Range. Not the richest or most diverse location for alpines but a few interesting finds none the less.
1. Evening light , Hawkdun Range
2. Boundary Creek Hut, West Manuherikia (this morning)
3, Thelymitra longifolia, St Bathans Range
4. Ranunculus crithmiflolius, St Bathans Range. This very cryptic buttercup was abundant on the screes and is almost impossible to see unless you get down on your hands and knees to look.
5. Aciphylla dobsonii growing in the stone fields at the crest of the St Bathans Range. The screes are very dry and hold virtually no moisture so there is very little growing there.
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The flora and landscape of New Zealand is markable! Thanks for showing us. But my body itches - I want to experience it all myself.
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I'm happy to see the Thelymitra David. That species comes up in various places in the garden, mainly where there's old pine bark, but never opens the flowers though it sets cleistogamic seed.
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Dear all, yet another great set of pictures what I liked when we were over and it shows in your pictures were the fantastic rocks they were so interesting with all the lichen. I am pleased to see David and Stella they look relaxed and enjoying the sun we have another 4 inches of the white stuff this morning and it is very slippery with ice underneath. cheers Ian the Christie kind.
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Get plenty of single malt in stock, Ian ... and please pass on my best wishes when he arrives! :D
I would prefere akevitt, please! (That is the equivalent stuff here)
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Dear all, yet another great set of pictures what I liked when we were over and it shows in your pictures were the fantastic rocks they were so interesting with all the lichen. I am pleased to see David and Stella they look relaxed and enjoying the sun we have another 4 inches of the white stuff this morning and it is very slippery with ice underneath. cheers Ian the Christie kind.
David and Stella will be in the white stuff soon as well Ian --i heard from them this morning .They are heading up the West Coast to visit the glaciers tomorrow.
A few more plants i showed them .....
The wonderful silver mats of Raoulia youngii .
Doug posted a pic in NZ field trips dec 2010 ,(reply 38),of a Celmisia hybrid just coming into bloom --here it is a few weeks on --a magnificent sight :o :o.
In viewing it again i believe it has some C.densifolia blood --the only other Celmisia sps growing close by was C. haastii--- i'll leave it to the experts to sort it out ..... :)
An imposing Celmisia holosericea.
It has been a season so far for interesting finds --while normally the two Dolichoglottis sps and their hybrid have green foliage and flowering stalks, i have come across a few plants where the stalks only are red/black but never where the both stalks and leaves are near black .......
While climbing over some large rocks i disturbed a NZ rock wren --xenicus gilviventris --difficult to photograph well as it has the curious habit of bobbing up and down on the spot before hopping /jumping to the next rock .
Cheers Dave.
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Dave, yet again you have made my day, I have been clearing up the dreaded white stuff with ice as well a little bit of a thaw. thanks for posting such fantastic pictures, cheers Ian the Christie kind.
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The scenery especially in the Aciphylla lomondii/Draco longifolium shot looks interesting ... Boyd Creek??.
Dave, I have neglected to respond to your question as well as several others in this thread. It was Boyd Creek and here are some views for any prospective visitor.
1. Half way up the bush opens out to this large bog.
2 Looking approx west along the Countess Range with Hebe odora in the foreground.
3. There are several tarns and quite extensive wetlands in the Top Basin
4. Looking back across the Top Basin
5. Climbing out of the Top Basin up towards the screes of the Countess Range.
6. Hebe odora growing amongst the snow tussock (Chionochloa rigida)
7. Brachyglottis revolutus
8. Subalpine vegetation, Boyd Creek You can see Hebe hectori, Celmisia semicordata var stricta and another Celmisia in full flower that is possibly Celmisia brevifolia.
9. An undescribed species of Myosotis.
10 A second smaller species of Myosotis( possibly Myosotis lyalli/elderi or not)
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It has been interesting botanising various locations over a period of about 2 weeks. The gertrude valley in the west is very wet compared to Boyd Creek which is by comparision very dry. In the west Aciphylla horrida is the dominant speargrass At Boyd Creek the predominant speargrss is Axiphylla 'lomondii' which is even more formidable.
1 Aciphyla lomondii (male plant)
2. A small bittercress Cardamine 'Scree Race ' ( the genus is current under revision with many new species recognised)
3,4 Celmisia semicordata var stricta Very beautiful with stunning silver-grey foliage
5 Gingidia decipiens (can be mistaken for an Anisotome)
6. Hebe petriei I found a plant with a few flowers
7,8 Schizeilema haastii
9 Stellaria roughii growing in the screes. It was very abundant more so than any other place that I have seen it growing.
10 Close up of Stellaria roughii showing it is just another chickweed
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David,
Although Stellaria roughii is a chickweed it is a beautiful one - especially the leaves. Wouldn't mind growing that among my rocks :)
When I first became aware of Aciphylla many many years ago I only knew of a couple of species. Now I have gotten my eyes opened to the plethora of species in that genus but I have not counted them. How many species of Aciphylla are recognized in NZ ???
I could say the same of almost all plants you and the others show us from NZ :o
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Hoy,
There are about 40 species of Aciphylla recognised in New Zealand. There are a number like Aciphylla aff horrida ' lomondii ' that seem to be distinct species but have yet to be formally named and described. It has been a good flowering year for Aciphyllas and I am considering posting a set of pictures.
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A couple more plant picture and some scenery.
1,2 Epilobium pycnostachyum. Very commmon on the screes along with a second species of Epilobium thatI did not get a photo of.
3 Clumps of Anisotome pilifera growing up in a rock crevices out of reach of hares. There was a large fat one sitting just below this particular outcrop.
4 Peaks of the Darran Mountains to the west towards Milford Sound.
5 Looking back down on Lake Te Anau. You can see the Milford Road and Eglinton River entering the lake.
6 Looking down into the Upukerora River past a curious eroded rock formation on the ridge.
7 Countess Peak above the Boyd Creek Basin.
8. The country that one has to traverse to get the pictures for posting on this forum. Blue dots show approximate route taken with red X denoting highest point attained. Photos of Stelleria roughii were taken half way up the screes as were photos of Celmisia semicordata. Other photos were taken on the vegetated patches on the way up to the ridge. The photos of the Cardamine, Anisotome pilifera and Hebe petriei were taken on the crest of the ridge where the plants wer growing on rock outcrops.The scree is very mobile and it is difficult to sustain upward progress but descending is not too bad.
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Hi Dave it looks like you are really enjoying all these fantastic mountain areas thanks for showing the pictures, cheers Ian the Christie kind
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Hoy,
There are about 40 species of Aciphylla recognised in New Zealand. There are a number like Aciphylla aff horrida ' lomondii ' that seem to be distinct species but have yet to be formally named and described. It has been a good flowering year for Aciphyllas and I am considering posting a set of pictures.
Thanks David!
Then I know what to aim for: Collecting Aciphyllas and trying to get as many as possible to grow in my garden ;D So please, do not consider for a long time before you start posting ;)
Epilobium pycnostachyum seems to be a nice plant - something to grow in the rock garden ???
By the way, can anybody tell me why all the Epilobiums in my garden are weeds and all the nice ones grow all other places ??? ???
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Hi Ian,
I gather the weather back in the UK has not been all that flash. It has been a fantastic flowering year here and good to get out. Even so you only see a fraction of what is here and it is not possible to visit every mountain range in the lower South Island.
Hello Hoy,
The big Aciphyllas are very formidable garden subjects. They are not particularly difficult to grow but present a health and safety issue for the gardener. I suspect all Epilobiums are weeds when they become garden subjects. One of the most irritating weeds in my garden is a small creeping Epilobium It seeds freely and forms large patches. The stems break making it difficult to remove the plant.
Some pictures from my last trip a week ago to the Rock and Pillar Range near Dunedin.
1, View of the Loganburn Reservoir
2. Celmisia argentea which is an Eastern Otago endemic. People continue to identify small forms of Celmisia sessiliflora from other places as Celmisia argentea but the two species are quite distinct.
3 Celmisia argentea flowers
4. Clemisia sessiliflora below and Celmisia argentea above.
5 Celmisia sessiliflora
6 Pentachondra pumila
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Hello Hoy,
The big Aciphyllas are very formidable garden subjects. They are not particularly difficult to grow but present a health and safety issue for the gardener.
Then I can plant a hedge to keep the neighbor's cats out ;)
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Thanks a lot for sharing these wonderful pics. I enjoy each and every one of them :)
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Somehow I missed this thread so far !
Just spent a great time, catching up !
Gorgeous pictures David and Dave !
Thanks so much for posting !
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Somehow I missed this thread so far !
Just spent a great time, catching up !
Gorgeous pictures David and Dave !
Thanks so much for posting !
Same here Luc. Boy I wish I could have seen those lovely Celmisia sessiliflora close up.
What a fantastic place to see.
Angie :)
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A couple more plant picture and some scenery.
The country that one has to traverse to get the pictures for posting on this forum. Blue dots show approximate route taken with red X denoting highest point attained.The scree is very mobile and it is difficult to sustain upward progress but descending is not too bad.
Seems a doddle David ;D ;) ;)
Thanks for posting the Boyd Creek area which is new to me so i'm obviously keen to have a look sometime.
However I'm just back from the NZAGS weekend at Dobson/Fox Peak and the body needs to recover .I had a little fall while crossing one of the small creeks on Saturday --didn't realize the damage i had done until my return home Sunday night --whacking the inside of the knee onto rock is not recommended :'(
It's not been the best of weeks --a spider bite the week before ,while showing a number of SRGC members ,(8 Danish folk), around Southland caused quite a bit of swelling.
ps Thanks for the camera tips --my pics over the weekend were a big improvement --the depth of field especially was stunning.
Somehow I missed this thread so far !
Just spent a great time, catching up !
Gorgeous pictures David and Dave !
Thanks so much for posting !
Same here Luc. Boy I wish I could have seen those lovely Celmisia sessiliflora close up.
What a fantastic place to see.
Angie :)
Thanks Luc and Angie
Not sure if you have seen my postings on the NARGS forum.
I've copied the link below in case you are interested.
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=374.0
Cheers Dave.
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Thanks Magnar, Luc and Angie for your kind comments. I am still trying to catalogue my photos from Januaryand identify a number of things.
Dave, Boyd Creek is an interesting place. There must have been a lot of deer there once or it was burnt because some of the things you would expect to be there are not or are not down in the basin. They seem to come in again up on the vegetated bits. Glad the camera tips were helpful to you - I would hate to think you spent all that money on an SLR and is was no improvement over your Point and shoot not mention carrying all that glass around
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David,
Just caught up with this topic. Some brilliant stuff you've photographed. I particularly like the white Thelymitra longifolia, which look great, but there are so many other things as well. Thanks for showing us.
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Some great colours and textures in the foliage--those long leafed Celmisias, etc..
And how can you not love the Stellaria..
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Hi Dave,
amazing how you managed to spot the Ranunculus crimithfolius among the rocks of identical colour.
I have been trying to read up more about this plant but can't find it in any botanical database. Could it be known under a different name?
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There's been a typo, Maren, the plant is Ranunculus crithmifolius
edited to repair MY typo!!
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There's been a typo, Maren, the plant is Ranunculus crithmithfolius
That's one to say with a lisp ;D
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Yeth, and I'm only sithteen.......
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I'll take the big breaths Maggi! ;D
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Clearly the plant is very cryptic - it seems no one including myself can spell the name correctly. It is Ranunculus crithmifolius. ( I have copied and pasted it from the NZPCN http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.asp?ID=1226 (http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora_details.asp?ID=1226)website to avoid any further mistakes.)
Maren,
I have seen four people walk over a patch of the plant before a fifth spotted it. Once you get your eye in you just keep finding more plants.