TANE 27, 1981
SOME SPECIES LISTS OF NATIVE PLANTS OF THE AUCKLAND REGION
by R.O. Gardner 118 Market Road, Epsom, Auckland, 3
SUMMARY
The native vascular flora of 21 areas near Auckland (c. lat. 36°30' - 37 °S) has been listed in manuscript. An index map and a guide to the compilation of these lists are given and the areas are described briefly.
INTRODUCTION
This article presents the background information to a set of species lists made by the author during 1977-81 and now deposited in manuscript in the libraries of several institutions (Auckland Institute and Museum, Auckland Public Library, Botany Division DSIR, University of Auckland) where they may be consulted and copied. These lists are to help those who wish to learn the native flora and to record what is left of the natural (pre-European) distribution of these plants near Auckland.
COMPILATION OF LISTS
Typically each list contains species seen by me in the field and other species known from herbarium material, the latter being vouchered by the earliest collection known to me. Some of my more unusual findings have also been vouchered (specimens in the herbarium of the Auckland Institute and Museum). The lists for the Waitakere Ranges and Rangitoto Island are exceptions to this format; they are based on comprehensive earlier work (Mead 1972, Millener unpub.) and I have not seen either in the field or herbarium all the species these workers mention. Consequently my lists contain a "Dubious and Excluded Species" section as well as vouchered additions and additions based on the "dot" distribution maps and specimen lists of recent taxonomic publications. Several groups of native plants are known to need revision or a corrected nomenclature, e.g. Blechnum, Dichelachne, and the lists suffer because of this. Perhaps more disconcerting will be my use of a few botanical names not of the standard floras (Cheeseman 1925 [grasses only], Allan 1961, Moore and Edgar 1970, Healy and Edgar 1980). Some of my unfamiliar names appear as synonyms in the above
169 Fig. 1: Map of Auckland region showing location of study areas 1-21. 1 Grafton Gully, 2 Auckland Domain, 3 Mount Eden, 4 Purewa Creek, 5 Glendowie Sandspit, 6 Wakaaranga Creek, 7 Maungamaungaroa Creek, 8 Murphy's Bush, 9 Totara Park, 10 Maraetai Hills, 11 Western Springs, 12 Wattle Bay to Waikowhai and Wesley Bay, 13 Waitakere Range, 14 Smith's Bush, 15 Onepoto Basin, 16 Lake Pupuke, 17 Rangitoto Island, 18 Kaipatiki Creek, 19 Hellyer's Creek, 20 Flat Top Hill, 21 Mansell's farm. floras; others can be found in taxonomic articles in the New Zealand Journal of Botany or in the lists of Edgar (1971) and Connor and Edgar (1978). Name changes not to be found in any of these places are (earlier usage in brackets): Agropyron kirkii (A. multiflorum} Ipomoea cairica (I. palmata) Isachne globosa (I. australis) Lachnagrostris filiformis var. littoralis (Deyeuxia var. littoralis) Myriophyllum triphyllum (M. elatinoides) Plagianthus regius (P. betulinus) Pneumatopteris pennigera (Thelypteris pennigera) Poa triodioides (Festuca littoralis) Syzygium maire (Eugenia maire) The following plants have been excluded from my lists because it seems likely that they are not native to New Zealand: Athyrium australe, A. japonicum, Cotula australis, Geranium homeanum, Scirpus chlorostachyus, Solanum nodiflorum. Also excluded are three
170 weedy species in which the distinction between native and adventive forms is imperfectly understood at present: Calystegia sepium, Gnaphalium luteo-album, Oxalis corniculata agg. I have also tried to exclude from each list any plant which appears to have been introduced to the area by man or which has the aspect of a "natural" arrival from nearby cultivated material. Sometimes comment has been necessary.
THE AREAS
Figure 1 shows the location of the areas investigated (1-21 below). The size of each area is given only approximately. Map references below are to sheets of the NZMS 1 series. 1. Grafton Gully N42 282-4/594-6 Area: 1 hectare Scrub, young forest and a muddy stream. 60 species. 2. Auckland Domain N42 290-8/593-600 Area: 8 hectares Native species scattered among taller exotic vegetation. The Domain has had early plantings of native trees and for species such as karaka (Corynocarpus laevigatas) and totara (Podocarpus totara) it is impossible to know whether or not the individuals now present are descended from local stock. The pre-European cover of at least the upper slopes of the Domain was Leptospermum scrub. Platts (1971) cites John Logan Campbell: "I knew every spot of the Domain that was then [1847] accessible through the thick ti-tree scrub". See also a photograph (Anon. 1909 p.48) entitled "Manuka-trees, Auckland Domain". This shows a dense fairly tall cover of kanuka (Leptospermum ericoides) with a larger tree, probably a totara, in the background. 53 species. 3. Mount Eden (lower slopes) N42 290574 and 291579 Area: 1 hectare Remnants of the original mixed-broadleaf forest on broken basaltic rock. 36 species. 4. Purewa Creek (northern slopes) N42 342-50/587-92 Area: 15 hectares Coastal forest remnant and estuarine communities. 106 species. 5. Glendowie sandspit N42 398-406/580-6 Area: 2 hectares Estuarine and sand-dune communities. 19 species. 6. Wakaaranga Creek (northern bank), Tamaki N42 404-6/555-6 Area: 1 hectare Coastal scrub and estuarine communities. 48 species.
171 7. Maungamaungaroa Stream (western bank), Howick N42 455- 61/528-9 Area: 2 hectares Coastal forest and estuarine communities. 75 species. 8. Murphy's Bush, Otara N42 431-6/446-52 Area: 12 hectares Part of the largest stand of forest ("Flat Bush") to be found in the Manukau lowlands at the time of European settlement and now reserved; other parts of the bush he nearby on privately-owned land. The original composition of the bush has been greatly altered by logging and grazing over the last century, and very few pre-European trees exist here today. 68 species. 9. Totara Park, Manurewa N42 420-35/418-24 Area: 20 hectares Another of South Auckland's pre-European forest remnants ("Ligar's Bush"). Has a fair number of large podocarps. 118 species. 10. Maraetai Hills N42 510-N43 575/N42 440-570 Area: 3 000 hectares Forest and scrub on the greywacke hills lying between Maraetai and Clevedon. Mostly in private ownership. Has excellent stands of hard beech (Nothofagus truncata) in the upper reaches of the Ruatawhiti Stream. c. 228 species. 11. Western Springs N42 238-46/584-7 Area: 5 hectares Freshwater pond and swamp species and a few lava-flow plants. 51 species. 12. Wattle Bay to Waikowhai and Wesley Bay, Manukau Harbour N42 246-61/497-507 Area: 35 hectares Coastal forest (mostly secondary), scrub and a few shore plants. 106 species. 13. Waitakere Range Area 30 000 hectares The boundaries of this area were taken to be those used by Mead (1972) - thus Muriwai, Swanson, Waikumete, Glen Eden and French Bay all he outside the Range, c. 496 species. 14. Smith's Bush, Takapuna N42 269-73/675-9 Area: 5 hectares The only forest remnant on the North Shore that is dominated by pre-European trees. 84 species. 15. Onepoto Basin N42 266-71/653-8 Area: 8 hectares A few wetland species in the ponds and drains of this recently- reclaimed muddy crater. 13 species. 16. Lake Pupuke A few wetland species around the lake edge. 13 species. 172 17. Rangitoto Island Area: 2 300 hectares A radiocarbon date of 225 ±110 yrs BP for charcoal beneath lava (Law 1975) supports the assertion of Millener (1953) that the pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) forest covering Rangitoto is little more than 200 years old. There is a curious contrast between the two earliest descriptions of the island, viz. Downie (unpub.) writing of 1821: "This island appears to be entirely comprised of lava which resembles cinders. The only vegetation on consists of a few shrubs", and Dumont D'Urville (1830, p.160) writing of 1827: " la vegetation tres-active ". c. 172 species. 18. Kaipatiki Creek, Glenfield N42 220-6/684-6 Area: 8 hectares Secondary coastal forest, scrub and estuarine communities. 101 species. 19. Hellyer's (Oruamo) Creek, Greenhithe N42 200-10/682-93 Area: 20 hectares As for 18, also a fair number of hard beech upslope. 167 species. 20. Flat Top Hill, Rodney County N37 076-8/917-20 Area: 3 hectares Mixed-broadleaf and totara stands on volcanic rock. 107 species. 21. Mansell's farm, Haruru Road, Rodney County N37 067-72/941-6 Area: 10 hectares Pre-European podocarp floodplain forest. 80 species.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
To J.K. Bartlett, J.E. Braggins, E.K. Cameron and A.E. Esler for additions to several lists; to the curators of the herbaria of the Auckland Institute and Museum, Botany Division DSIR and the National Museum, Wellington for much information on their collections.
REFERENCES
Allan, H.H. 1961: "Flora of New Zealand". Vol. 1. Government Printer, Wellington. 1 085 p. Anon. 1909: Forestry in New Zealand. Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives Session 2 C-4. Cheeseman, T.F. 1925: "Manual of the New Zealand Flora". Ed. 2. Government Printer, Wellington. 1 163 p. Connor, H.E. & Edgar, E. 1978: Nomina Nova II, 1970-1976. New Zealand Journal of Botany 16:103-18. Dumont D'Urville, J.S.C. 1830: "Voyage de la corvette Astrolabe ". Vol. 2. Tastu, Paris. Edgar, E. 1971: Nomina Nova Plantarum Novae-Zealandiae 1960-1971 Gymnospermae, Angiospermae. New Zealand Journal of Botany 9:322-30. Healy, A.J. & Edgar, E. 1980: "Flora of New Zealand". Vol. 3. Government Printer, Wellington. 220 p.
173 Law, R.G. 1975: Radiocarbon dates for Rangitoto and Motutapu, a consideration of the dating accuracy. New Zealand Journal of Science 18: 441-51. Mead, A.D. 1972: "Native Flora of the Waitakere Range". Ed. 2. Impex Press, Auckland. 24 p. Millener, L.H. 1953: How old is the vegetation on Rangitoto Island? Proceedings of the New Zealand Ecological Society 2nd Annual Meeting 17-18. Moore, L.B. & Edgar, E. 1970: "Flora of New Zealand". Vol. 2. Government Printer, Wellington. 354 p. Platts, V. 1971: "The Lively Capital; Auckland 1840-1865". Avon Fine Prints, Christchurch. 271 p.
174 TANE 27,1981
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SMALL PLASTIC BOATS AS SEED DISPERSAL AGENTS
by C.J. West Department of Botany, University of Auckland, Private Bag, Auckland
Boats have, for centuries, been direct and indirect agents for dispersal of both plants and animals throughout the world. On 3 July 1979 a small green and yellow plastic boat was found stranded on Hobbs Beach, Tiritiri Matangi Island (NZMS1 N38 400906 - Tiritiri Matangi lies in the Hauraki Gulf 28 km north of Auckland and 3.5 km east of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula). A small twig of rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum) was found in the boat and recorded in notes on sea dispersal of plants to Tiritiri Matangi (West 1980). Later the contents of the boat were investigated under the microscope. Seeds of eight species were found and three of these appeared to be viable (Table 1). One of the species, Amaranthus sp. has never been recorded from Tiritiri Matangi (Esler 1978), but all of the other species are common on the island.
Table 1. Seeds found in the bows of the small plastic boat. (* denotes apparent viability • determined by resistance to pressure when squeezed between the thumb and forefinger.)
Native species Exotic Species Coprosma robusta* Amaranthus sp. Leptospermum scoparium Chenopodium sp.* Metrosideros excelsa Dactylis glomerata Scirpus sp.* Scirpus sp.
It seems reasonable to assume that all of the seeds and other vegetative fragments actually entered the boat before arriving on Tiritiri Matangi Island since all were found in the bow and two of the species, Amaranthus sp. and rimu do not grow on the island. Thus species which are incapable of sea dispersal through their own lack of buoyancy or inability to withstand the effects of sea water could be safely transported in sheltered craft to colonise new areas of land.
REFERENCES
Esler, A.E. 1978: Botanical features of Tiritiri Island, Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 16:207-226. West, C.J. 1980: Aspects of regeneration on Tiritiri Matangi Island. Unpublished M.Sc. thesis. University of Auckland. 173 p.
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