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A Primary Survey of the Vegetation of Marotiri Island, by C. A. Percy, P 3-62

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A Primary Survey of the Vegetation of Marotiri Island, by C. A. Percy, P 3-62 A PRIMARY SURVEY OF THE VEGETATION OF MAROTIRI ISLAND By C. A. PERCY Location The first intensive study was that of Cranwell and Marotiri is the largest of seven Marotiri islands Moore in 1935. Although concentrating mainly on Hen (Chickens), having an area of c. 340 acres. The group Island they remark on the more widespread clearing due lies seven miles east of Bream Head and four miles to repeated burning on the Chicken Islands, and mention north of Hen Island. that on the whole tree species are fewer than on the Hen. Geology and Physiography The island is composed of Mesozoic greywacke seamed Vegetation Pattern by numerous andesitic dykes. Weathering has produced The vegetation of the Big Chicken shows a close corre• broad rounded ridges and steep sided valleys with lation with topography. Ridgetop vegetation differs drainage mainly to the south and west. The coastline is markedly from that in the valleys. The latter are re• dominated by high cliffs to the north, and by sheer markably uniform with a transition from flax and coastal bluffs round the rest of the island. scrub through Kohekohe—Puriri forest to Pohutukawa— Puriri forest at the heads of the valleys. This Pohutu• Soils kawa dominated forest community is also found in the Classified as Te Ranga clay and stony loam, the soils broad hanging valleys of the south and south-west. are skeletal in nature. Except on the cliffs and isolated Between the vegetation of the valley floor and that of inland rocky areas, they are deep with 2 to 3 inches of the ridgetop is a transition community of mixed charac• humus overlaying a dary stony loam up to 18 inches in ter which varies greatly in extent. depth. Below is a streaky impervious clay. Ridges are dominated by Kanuka although on the Climate southern headlands this is replaced by Pohutukawa No data is available for the island but estimation is pos• forest. In more exposed areas, as on the north coast and sible by comparing the vegetation with that on Little behind West Bay the tall Kanuka is reduced to a low Barrier and the mainland. On this basis, rainfall is high scrub. (50 to 60 inches) without marked seasonal periodicity. The cliffs and headlands have a distint vegetation Little running water on the island and the absence of tolerant of the exposed conditions. Pohutukawa scrub is filmy ferns and mosses indicates the porous nature of the characteristic of the higher areas and resistant andesitic subsoil. Temperatures may be expected to be fairly even, ridges but is replaced at lower levels by coastal scrub. both seasonally and diurnally. The prevailing wind is On the steepest faces and on quickly eroding slopes, south-west with occasional strong south-easterlies. flax grasses and succulent halophytes are the only colonisers. History Variations in this general pattern are usually the There is little accurate knowledge of the history of the result of more recent fires. The main area so affected is Chicken Islands. Cranwell and Moore (1935) record a West Bay where ridges are covered with low scrub and long Maori occupation dating from before the great the valleys are still in the transition stage—typified else• migration (1350) till the islands were abandoned in 1821. where by the valley wall community. Areas in the South Broad terraces, house-sites and defensive trenches on the Cove and in the North-east valley show similar mixed island indicate a fairly large population. scrub communities. A large area of mixed scrub to the Further activities by man have influenced the vegeta• east of the main pa appears to have been cultivated tion. Although no fires have been observed this century, rather than burnt soil. Cheeseman mentions fires lit by fishermen on the island between 1887 and 1890. Mr Pickmere of Whangarei Plant Communities (pers. comm. ) confirmed these dates and indicated that 1. VALLEY COMMUNITIES. West Bay and South Cove were the main sites. (a) Phormium scrub. South Cove was the base for Nova Scotian fishermen (b) Coastal scrub. who, towards the end of last century, spent long periods (c) Dysoxylum-Vitex forest. on the island. At this time too, bargeloads of flax were (d) Metrosideros-Vitex-Dysoxylum forest. taken from these islands to Whangarei. 2. VALLEY WALL COMMUNITIES. Cattle were present on the island in fairly large num• 3. RIDGE COMMUNITIES. bers as recently as 1924-25, being liberated over a period (a) Leptospermum scrub. of thirty years by a Whangarei farmer. (b) Leptospermum-Suttonia forest. Little work has been published concerning the vege• (c) Metrosideros ridgetop forest. tation of the Marotiri Islands. Reischeck (1881) noted 4. CLIFF COMMUNITIES. that the larger islands were 'covered with bush with the (a) Phormium-grass-succulents. exception of a few abandoned Maori plantations now (b) Coastal scrub. overgrown with flax and scrub'. (c) Metrosideros scrub. 3 1. VALLEY COMMUNITIES phylicaefolia and Olearia furfuracea. With increased (a) Phormium Community canopy height (12 feet) of the Kanuka higher up the Small areas at the valley mouths. Thick and almost ridge L. scoparium forms a dense twiggy layer (6 feet) impenetrable, the Phormium tenax has few associated with Suttonia, Coprosma rhamnoides, C. robusta, Hebe species, its density preventing seedling growth. salicifolia, Coriaria arborea, Nothopanax, Olearia, Adian• (b) Coastal Scrub Community tum and Asplenium. Under higher L. ericoides (16 feet) A mixed community of light-demanding and coastal L. scoparium tends to be eliminated and Suttonia and species. All form low (10 to 15 feet), much branched Pittosporum umbellatum appear in the canopy. Below is bushes through which little light penetrates. Main species a scrub layer of Coprosma rhamnoides, C. robusta, are: Brachyglottis repanda, Coprosma robusta, C. lucida, Geniostoma and Suttonia. Very few ground ferns due to Entelea arborescens, Geniostoma ligustrifolium, Hebe low light intensity. bollonsii, Hebe salicifolia, Melicytus ramiflorus, Macro- (b) Leptospermum-Suttonia Community piper excelsum, Nothopanax arboreum, Pseudopanax Present on all main ridges this community is charac• lessonii, Suttonia australis. Occasionally: Metrosideros terised by senescent L. ericoides and the increasing excelsa, Sophora microphylla, Olea apetala. Associated canopy dominance of Suttonia and Nothopanax. The species: Asplenium lucidum, Polystichum richardii, Suttonia forms a thick layer 12 to 15 feet high, rising Doodia media, Sicyos angulata, Parsonsia heterophylla. to 20 to 30 feet in the canopy gaps. Other canopy gap (c) Dysoxylum-Vitex Community trees are Nothopanax, Hoheria, Pittosporum umbellatum, Geniostoma, Olearia, Hebe salicifolia, Macropiper and Forest trees gradually replace the coastal scrub. Dysoxylum spectabile (Kohekohe) usually dominates but may be Brachyglottis. Associated species include Coprosma replaced by Vitex lucens (Puriri) in the stream bed or in rhamnoides, C. arborea Astelia cunninghamii, Gahnia very narrow valleys. Corynocarpus laevigata (Karaka) is xanthocarpa, G. lacera, Oplismenus undulatifolius, locally dominant—a dense canopy (15 to 20 feet high) Asplenium, Doodia, Oplismenus. Also present are seed• with few ground forms. Seedlings of Kokekohe, Karaka lings of Kohekohe and Karaka and very occasionally and Meryta sinclairii, with Macropiper and Rhabdothamnus solandri in lighter areas. Pteris comans, Adiantum Tawa and Taraire. affine, Polystichum and Asplenium. 4. CLIFF COMMUNITIES (a) Phormium-grass-succulent Community (d) Metrosideros-Vitex-~Dysoxylum Community Confined to steep faces and rapidly eroding slopes, this Characterised by large Pohutukawas (Metrosideros ex• community is composed of Phormium tenax, Linum celsa) and Puriris this community includes the trees of monogynum, Arthropodium cirrhatum, Senecio lautus, greatest stature on the island. Pohutukawas up to five Mesembryanthemum australe, Astelia cunninghamii, feet through overtop Puriris two feet in diameter. The Peperomia urvilleana, Samolus repens, Coprosma repens, Kohekohes (15 inches diameter), Karakas and Hoheria Haloragis and Asplenium flaccidum. populnea appear to be much younger. Pisonia brunoniana forms clumps of large trees (up to 3 inches diameter) (b) Coastal Scrub Community in the stream valleys. Beneath the 20 to 25 foot high On more stable areas many of the above species occur canopy a uniform seedling and sapling layer 3 to 5 feet together with low shrubs of Coprosma robusta, C. repens, high includes Macropiper, Rhabdothamnus, Meryta, Angelica rosaefolia, Hebe parvifiora, H. bollonsii, Pteris, Polystichum and Asplenium. Kohekohe seedlings Rhabdothamnus, Macropiper, Olearia, Hymenanthera dominate in lighter areas with Karaka in the valley floor. novae-zelandiae, Muehlenbeckia complexa, Myoporum Scattered seedlings of Beilschmeidia tarairi occur in one laetum and Paratrophis opaca. or two valleys. (c) Metrosideros Scrub Community Where a firm foothold offers Pohutukawa dominates the 2. VALLEY WALL COMMUNITY above scrub community. With the more sheltered condi• tions other species are present—Suttonia, Nothopanax, A transition between valley forest and ridgetop Leptospermum ericoides. A variegated canopy composed of Pittosporum umbellatum and Brachyglottis. Nothopanax, Olea apetala, Pseudopanax and occasional Suttonia, Melicytus, Hoheria, Carmichaelia australis, DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Pittosporum umbellatum, Cordyline australis and Several factors indicate the relative youth of the vegeta• Sophora. Other associates present include Brachyglottis, tion on the Big Chicken Island. The absence of
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