#new zealand plant

[drhoz]

#2226 - Pseudopanax ferox - Toothed Lancewood 

AKA fierce lancewood or horoeka.

And similar to the more common Pseudopanax crassifolius, that I covered for @purrdence's last visit, but with more prominently tooth-edged leaves. The juvenile leaves are narrow, a very dark grey-brown to grey-green colour, stiff and up to 40 cm long, and prominently toothed along the margins. This may have evolved to make them visibly and texturally unpalatable to Moa. After 10 to 15 years they transition to a much more normal-looking tree, now their foliage is out of reach to even the tallest giant flightless birds.

A mature toothed lancewood can be 6 metres tall with a trunk of 25 cm in diameter. The mature trunk has longitudinal grooves which sometimes twist slightly.

Increasingly popular as a small garden tree.

Other species of Pseudapanax are very different, as you'll see over coming weeks.

Craters of the Moon, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand

[blairesnaps]

blaire snaps

[expressions-of-nature]

Waihou Stream, New Zealand by fate atc

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Sunday 26 May 2024

In my friend’s lovely garden she has created an informal hedge with Libertia grandiflora (New Zealand satin flower). Strong-growing, evergreen clumps of leaves line the entrance and now are covered with white, bowl-shaped flowers. In the autumn the flowers are followed by round seed pods which turn black when they mature.

Jill Raggett

[lionfloss]

Ohingaiti Boulders

[crabussy]

you;re all so sexy

[heaveninawildflower]

Viola filicaulis - Native violet, Melicytus (New Zealand, circa 1885) by Sarah Featon.

Watercolour.

Image and text information courtesy Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

[platypusesforarms]

Mountain Snowberry | New Zealand, Earth's Mythical Islands: Wild Extremes

[devon-the-fool]

Tbh, i think JRR Tolkien would've really loved New Zealand. Just watching the movies, seeing these beautiful sprawling landscapes and diverse ecosystems, and being aware of Tolkien's absolute adoration for all things natural. Idk I think if he ever saw the locations where the filming took place, he'd be like "oh fuck yeah"

[drhoz]

#2369 - Polytrichum commune - Common Haircap Moss

AKA great golden maidenhair, and great goldilocks.

Common Haircap is common throughout temperate and boreal latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, Mexico, Australia, and several Pacific Islands including New Zealand.

A species of large moss growing in damp acidic areas, including in open areas disturbed by human activitoes and livestock. The stems can be 70 cm, which it manages by have tissues specialised to transport water. That's the standard for the 'higher', vascular plants - practically the defining feature, in fact - but is extremely unusual for mosses.

The genus also have parallel lamellae on the upper surfaces of the leaves, with rows of photosynthetic tissue capped with large cells that trap moist air between them but still alow gas exchange. Most mosses have a simple plate of photosynthetic tissue. If conditions become too dry the leaves will twist around the stem.

Pohokura, North Island, New Zealand

[blairesnaps]

blaire snaps

[geopsych]

And now for something completely different. (Not my video!) My friend @toooldforthissh--stuff is in New Zealand and just sent me this. *star eyes emoji*

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Monday 25 September 2023

This Phormium ‘Chocomint’ (New Zealand flax) made a great central feature for a summer container. This cultivar has distinctive broad arching chocolate brown and vivid mint green margined leaves.

Jill Raggett

[lionfloss]

source

[fairiencarnate]

🪻🪻🪻

[mushroom-forest-life]

Mushroom of the Day: Blue Pinkgill/Entoloma hochstetteri

Other names: sky blue mushrooms

Geographic location: New Zealand, Australia, and India; growing location: leaf litter

Characteristics: bright blue mushroom that has a small pointed cap. The girls may leave a pink print to sit on paper overnight.

Grow to maximum Demeter of about 1.5 inches