Southern rātā
Image: Graeme Taylor | ©

Native plants of the Canterbury foothills forests

Introduction

Discover the many native plants found in the foothills forests of Canterbury.

Grown from seed collected from native remnants in the Oxford area.

Beech/tawhai is the most common native forest in the Canterbury foothills. Black beech/tawhairauriki (Fuscospora solandri) dominates the lower slopes, while mountain beech/tawhairauriki (Fucospora cliffortioides) is more prevalent at higher altitudes and on the more exposed harsh sites. Red beech/tawhairaunui (Fuscospora fusca) is also present, but is uncommon and found only in the Mt Grey area.

Podocarp species, such as kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydiodes), mataï (Prumnopitys taxifolia), and rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum) are also present on the poorly drained lower slopes and moist gullies where they mix with beech. The understorey is diverse, and consists of a wide range of shrubs, herbaceous plants and fern species. The more common shrubs include species of Coprosma/karamū, lancewood/horoeka, broadleaf/kāpuka (Griselinia littoralis), putaputāwëtā (Carpodetus serratus), wineberry/makomako (Aristotelia serrata), and other Pseudopanax species.

Regenerating forest is also a feature of the Canterbury foothills flora and is represented by broadleaf, kōwhai (Sophora microphylla), small-leaved Coprosma species, mountain wineberry (Aristotelia fruticosa), mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium), and kānuka (Kunzea serotina).

Southern rata (Metrosideros umbellata) is found sporadically, growing on bluffs and rock outcrops, especially in the Alford Forest.  

Species name and common name

R = rare
T = threatened

  1. Aristotelia serrata makomako, wineberry
  2. Astelia fragrans kakaha, bush lily
  3. Carex buchananii matirewa, cutty grass
  4. Carex dispacea
  5. Carex tenuiculmis (R)
  6. Carex uncintata
  7. Carmichaelia torulosa (R)
  8. Carpodetus serratus putaputäwëtä, marble leaf
  9. Clematis paniculata
  10. Coprosma ‘Taylorii’
  11. Coprosma linariifolia yellow-wood
  12. Coprosma lucida
  13. Coprosma propinqua mingimingi
  14. Coprosma rhamnoides
  15. Coprosma robusta karamü
  16. Coprosma rotundifolia
  17. Coprosma virescens
  18. Cordyline australis ti kōuka, cabbage tree
  19. Dacrydium cupressium rimu
  20. Elaeocarpus hookerianus pōkākā
  21. Fucospora cliffortioides tawhairauriki, mountain beech
  22. Fuscaspora fusca tawhairaunui, red beech
  23. Fuscospora solandri tawhairauriki, black beech
  24. Griselinia littoralis pāpāuma, broadleaf
  25. Hebe salicifolia koromiko
  26. Hebe traversii
  27. Hoheria lyallii houhi, mountain ribbonwood
  28. Melicope simplex poataniwha
  29. Melicytus flexuosus
  30. Metrosideros umbellata southern rātā, ironwood
  31. Myrsine australis matipou, māpou
  32. Myrsine divaricata weeping māpou
  33. Olearia avicenniaefolia akeake
  34. Phormium cookianum wharariki, mountain flax
  35. Pittosporum eugenioides tarata, lemonwood
  36. Pittosporum tenuifolium kōhūhu
  37. Plagianthus regius mānatu, ribbonwood
  38. Podocarpus laetus mountain tōtara
  39. Prumnopitys ferruginea miro
  40. Prumnopitys taxifolia mataī, black pine
  41. Pseudopanax arboreus whauwhaupaku, five finger
  42. Pseudopanax colensoi orihou, mountain five finger
  43. Pseudopanax crassifolius horoeka, lancewood
  44. Raukaua anomalus
  45. Sophora microphylla köwhai
  46. Zotovia avenacea

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Native plants of the Canterbury foothills forests (PDF, 2,496K)

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