T A N E 27, 1981

S O M E S P E C I E S L I S T S O F N A T I V E P L A N T S O F T H E A U C K L A N D R E G I O N

by R.O. Gardner 118 Market Road, Epsom, Auckland, 3

S U M M A R Y

The native vascular flora of 21 areas near A u c k l a n d (c. lat. 36°30' -37 °S) has been listed in manuscript. A n index map and a guide to the compilation of these lists are given and the areas are described briefly.

I N T R O D U C T I O N

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, A u c k l a n d Public L ibrary , Botany Div is ion D S I R , Univers i ty 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 .

C O M P I L A T I O N O F L I S T S

Typical ly each l ist 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 A u c k l a n d 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, Mil lener unpub.) and I have not seen either in the field or herbarium al l the species these workers mention. Consequently my lists contain a "Dubious and Exc luded Species" section as well as vouchered additions and additions based on the " d o t " distr ibution 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 wi l l be my use of a few botanical names not of the standard floras (Cheeseman 1925 [grasses only], A l l a n 1961, Moore and E d g a r 1970, Healy and E d g a r 1980). Some of my unfamiliar names appear as synonyms in the above

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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. A l so excluded are three

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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 " n a t u r a l " arr ival from nearby cultivated material. Sometimes comment has been necessary.

T H E A R E A S

Figure 1 shows the location of the areas investigated (1-21 below). The size of each area is given only approximately. M a p references below are to sheets of the N Z M S 1 series. 1. Grafton G u l l y N42 282-4/594-6 Area : 1 hectare

Scrub, young forest and a muddy stream. 60 species.

2. A u c k l a n d Domain N42 290-8/593-600 Area : 8 hectares Nat ive 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, Auck land D o m a i n " . This shows a dense fairly tal l cover of kanuka (Leptospermum ericoides) w i th a larger tree, probably a totara, in the background.

53 species. 3. Mount E d e n (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.

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7. Maungamaungaroa Stream (western bank), Howick N42 455-61/528-9 Area : 2 hectares

Coastal forest and estuarine communities. 75 species.

8. M u r p h y ' s B u s h , Otara N42 431-6/446-52 Area : 12 hectares Par t of the largest stand of forest ( "Flat Bush" ) to be found in the

M a n u k a u 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" ) . H a s a fair number of large podocarps.

118 species. 10. Maraeta i H i l l s N42 510-N43 575/N42 440-570

Area : 3 000 hectares Forest and scrub on the greywacke hills l y ing between Maraeta i and

Clevedon. M o s t l y in private ownership. Has excellent stands of hard beech (Nothofagus truncata) in the upper reaches of the Ruatawhi t i 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. Watt le B a y to Waikowhai and Wesley B a y , M a n u k a u 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 M e a d

(1972) - thus M u r i w a i , Swanson, Waikumete, Glen E d e n and French B a y al l he outside the Range,

c. 496 species. 14. Smith 's B u s h , Takapuna N42 269-73/675-9 Area : 5 hectares

The only forest remnant on the N o r t h Shore that is dominated by pre-European trees.

84 species. 15. Onepoto Bas in 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.

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17. Rangitoto Island Area : 2 300 hectares A radiocarbon date of 225 ± 1 1 0 yrs B P for charcoal beneath lava

(Law 1975) supports the assertion of Mil lener (1953) that the pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) forest covering Rangitoto is l itt le more than 200 years old.

There is a curious contrast between the two earliest descriptions of the island, viz. Downie (unpub.) wr i t ing of 1821: " T h i s island appears to be entirely comprised of lava which resembles cinders. The only vegetation on consists of a few shrubs" , and Dumont D ' U r v i l l e (1830, p.160) wr i t ing of 1827: " la vegetation tres-active ".

c. 172 species. 18. K a i p a t i k i Creek, Glenfield N42 220-6/684-6 Area : 8 hectares

Secondary coastal forest, scrub and estuarine communities. 101 species.

19. Hel lyer 's (Oruamo) Creek, Greenhithe N42 200-10/682-93 Area : 20 hectares

A s for 18, also a fair number of hard beech upslope. 167 species.

20. F l a t Top H i l l , Rodney County N37 076-8/917-20 Area : 3 hectares Mixed-broadleaf and totara stands on volcanic rock. 107 species.

21. Mansel l ' s farm, H a r u r u Road, Rodney County N37 067-72/941-6 Area : 10 hectares

Pre-European podocarp floodplain forest. 80 species.

A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

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.

R E F E R E N C E S

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" . E d . 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.

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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". E d . 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.

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T A N E 27,1981

T H E SIGNIFICANCE O F S M A L L P L A S T I C B O A T S A S S E E D D I S P E R S A L A G E N T S

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. O n 3 J u l y 1979 a small green and yellow plastic boat was found stranded on Hobbs Beach, T i r i t i r i M a t a n g i Island ( N Z M S 1 N38 400906 - T i r i t i r i M a t a n g i lies in the H a u r a k i Gul f 28 k m north of A u c k l a n d and 3.5 k m east of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula). A small tw ig of r imu (Dacrydium cupressinum) was found i n the boat and recorded i n notes on sea dispersal of plants to T i r i t i r i M a t a n g i (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 T i r i t i r i M a t a n g i (Esler 1978), but a l l 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.)

Exotic Species Amaranthus sp. Chenopodium sp.* Dactylis glomerata

Native species Coprosma robusta* Leptospermum scoparium Metrosideros excelsa Scirpus sp.* Scirpus sp.

It seems reasonable to assume that a l l of the seeds and other vegetative fragments actually entered the boat before arr iv ing on T i r i t i r i M a t a n g i Island since a l l were found in the bow and two of the species, Amaranthus sp. and r imu do not grow on the island. Thus species which are incapable of sea dispersal through their own lack of buoyancy or inabil i ty to withstand the effects of sea water could be safely transported i n sheltered craft to colonise new areas of land.

R E F E R E N C E S

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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