Tag Archives: flower

Oops-a-daisy! How many flowers do you see?

2 January 2013 – 1.55pm

How many flowers do you see in the photo below?

Marlborough rock daisies (Pachystegia insignis). Photo credit: Lara Shepherd

Marlborough rock daisies (Pachystegia insignis). Photo credit: Lara Shepherd

Two is the obvious answer, but there are far more than two flowers in the picture. Each daisy ‘flower’ is actually made up of numerous tiny flowers, also called florets.

The Marlborough rock daisies pictured above have two types of florets. Around the outside are ray florets. Each ray floret has a single broad strap-like petal.

In the centre are the yellow disc florets, which have very reduced petals. The ray and disc florets grouped together look like the single flower found in many other flowering plants.

Marlborough rock daisy disc floret (top) and ray floret (bottom). Note the long petal on the ray floret. Photo credit: Leon Perrie

Marlborough rock daisy disc floret (top) and ray floret (bottom). Note the long petal on the ray floret. Photo credit: Leon Perrie

Such clusters of florets, called capitula (singularly, a capitulum), are typical of species in the daisy family. Other members of the daisy family include sunflowers, lawn daisies, lettuces and chrysanthemums.

Next time you find a daisy in the lawn or someone gives you a bunch of sunflowers, take a closer look.

By Lara Shepherd | Posted in Biodiversity, Plants | Also tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Jovellana sinclairii flowering in Bush City

9 December 2012 – 7.27pm

Te Papa’s Bush City is currently graced by a good display of sprays of the white, bell-like flowers of Jovellana sinclairii. If you’re visiting, you can see them beside the waterfall, on the lower track.

Jovellana sinclairii BushCity 3 reduced

Flowers of Jovellana sinclairii, in Te Papa’s Bush City. Photo Leon Perrie. © Te Papa.

Flowers of Jovellana sinclairii, in Te Papa’s Bush City. Photo Leon Perrie. © Te Papa.

Jovellana sinclairii in Te Papa’s Bush City. Photo Leon Perrie. © Te Papa.

Jovellana sinclairii BushCity 4 reduced

Inside a flower of Jovellana sinclairii, in Te Papa’s Bush City. Photo Leon Perrie. © Te Papa.

Jovellana sinclairii is not a common plant in the wild. You’re most likely to find this large herb beside streams and other wet places. But it makes a good garden plant, in damp, shaded areas.

There is one other species of Jovellana in New Zealand. The group of plants to which they belong (the Calceolariaceae) otherwise occurs in South America.

More on New Zealand Jovellana.

A recent study using DNA to investigate the relationships of these plants concluded that the ancestor of the New Zealand species had arrived from South America within the last few million years.

Abstract of the paper investigating Jovellana relationships.

More on some of the plants in Bush City.

By Leon Perrie | Posted in Biodiversity, Plants | Also tagged , | Comments (0)

A few Chilean plants

29 October 2010 – 12.48pm

During a recent family holiday to central and southern Chile, I was able to do a bit of botanising. In addition to several plants endemic to Chile, we also saw several with a Pacific connection. First stop was a day trip to the National Botanic Gardens at Viña del Mar to check out some native plants.

Here I am with some of my family in front of a specimen of Jubaea chilensis, the native Chilean palm, with its uniquely stout trunk. Photo © Mauricio A. López L.

Here I am with some of my family in front of a specimen of Jubaea chilensis, the native Chilean palm, with its uniquely stout trunk. Photo © Mauricio A. López L.

Several young Jubaea chilensis growing at the botanic gardens. It is possible to see these plants in the wild in the hills along the highway that links Santiago with Viña del Mar. Photo © Heidi M. Meudt.

Several young Jubaea chilensis growing at the botanic gardens. It is possible to see these plants in the wild in the hills along the highway that links Santiago with Viña del Mar. Photo © Heidi M. Meudt.

A native cactus in the botanic garden. We also saw several other candelabria-type cacti like this one on the highway between Santiago and Viña del Mar. Photo © Heidi M. Meudt.

A native cactus in the botanic garden. We also saw several other candelabria-type cacti like this one on the highway between Santiago and Viña del Mar. Photo © Heidi M. Meudt.

The gardens also housed many exotic plants, including several from New Zealand. Note for example the Phormium tenax (harakeke, New Zealand flax) on the left of this photo of the lake inside the gardens.
Lake inside the botanic garden. Photo © Heidi M. Meudt.

Lake inside the botanic garden. Photo © Heidi M. Meudt.

We noticed that harakeke and also Cordyline australis (cabbage tree) are frequently planted and appear to be thriving in urban areas and along roadsides throughout Chile.
One of my favourite parts of the botanic garden was the small area dedicated to the endemic flroa of the Juan Fernández Islands, which contains several threatened species.

The shrub Rhaphithamnus venustus (Verbenaceae). Photo © Heidi M. Meudt.

The shrub Rhaphithamnus venustus (Verbenaceae). Photo © Heidi M. Meudt.

Ochagavia elegans (Bromeliaceae). Photo © Heidi M. Meudt.

Ochagavia elegans (Bromeliaceae). Photo © Heidi M. Meudt.

The Juan Fernández cabbage tree, Dendroseris litoralis (Asteraceae). Photo © Heidi M. Meudt.

The Juan Fernández cabbage tree, Dendroseris litoralis (Asteraceae). Photo © Heidi M. Meudt.

An excellent article about Dendroseris litoralis can be found here.
About 1000 km south of Viña del Mar in the beautiful Chilean lake district, we visited a southern beech forest in Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park (Chile’s oldest national park).
Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park, with Osorno Volcano in the background, and native Nothofagus forest. Photo © Mauricio A. López L.

Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park, with Osorno Volcano in the background, and native Nothofagus forest. Photo © Mauricio A. López L.

Although it was only early spring, I was able to find a few (quite colourful!) shrubs in flower inside the forest.
Gaultheria sp. (Ericaceae). Photo © Heidi M. Meudt.

Gaultheria sp. (Ericaceae). Photo © Heidi M. Meudt.

Notro, or Chilean fire bush, Embothrium coccineum (Proteaceae). Photo © Heidi M. Meudt.

Notro, or Chilean fire bush, Embothrium coccineum (Proteaceae). Photo © Heidi M. Meudt.

Michay, Berberis darwinii (Berberidaceae). While beautiful in its native Chile, it is an invasive pest in New Zealand. Photo © Heidi M. Meudt.

Michay, Berberis darwinii (Berberidaceae). While beautiful in its native Chile, it is an invasive pest in New Zealand. Photo © Heidi M. Meudt.

By Heidi Meudt | Posted in Plants | Also tagged , , | Comments (0)

Pohutukawa flowering – is it Christmas already?

3 August 2009 – 3.47pm

No, it is not Christmas already. (Fortunately the year hasn’t passed by that quickly.)

But this pohutukawa on Wellington’s waterfront, opposite Frank Kitts Park, seems to think so. It has been spluttering into flower over the last few weeks.

Pohutukawa on Wellington’s waterfront, 20 June 2009. It is still in flower, over a month later. Image by Leon Perrie, Curator. © Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Pohutukawa on Wellington’s waterfront, 20 June 2009. It is still in flower, over a month later. Image by Leon Perrie, Curator. © Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

The pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa) is New Zealand’s ‘Christmas tree’, its bursting display of red flowers signalling the onset of summer warmth.

Pohutukawa as New Zealand’s Christmas tree from New Zealand History Online.

The pohutukawa in the picture above has got its timing ‘wrong’. Perhaps it was confused by the early onset of the cold weather this year.

Alternatively, it might actually have some genes in it from the Kermadec Islands’ pohutukawa (M. kermadecensis), which flowers all year round. The pictured pohutukawa also has smaller leaves than its four non-flowering neighbours. But otherwise it looks like M. excelsa, having more pointed rather than rounded leaves.

Metrosideros kermadecensis fact sheet of the NZ Plant Conservation Network.

The Kermadec Islands’ pohutukawa is only found naturally on the Kermadec Islands, which are in the subtropics, several hundred kilometres north of the North Island. However, it has been brought to mainland New Zealand, where it hybridises with M. excelsa.

That M. excelsa times its flowering for summer is presumably the result of natural selection for when seasonal conditions are optimal (maybe pollinators are more active, or the resource levels of the trees are higher, or seed survival is better). In contrast, the year-round flowering of M. kermadecensis is probably a reflection of the reduced seasonality of its subtropical home. But it retains this trait even when grown in mainland New Zealand.

Neither of these species are indigenous to Wellington. But both have naturalised there, and aggressively so for M. excelsa in some places. In Wellington, the ‘New Zealand Christmas tree’ is actually a weed, albeit a pretty and (usually) popular one.

By Leon Perrie | Posted in Plants | Also tagged , , | Comments (0)

Disguised in the bush – a plant mimic

22 January 2009 – 2.21pm

 Last weekend, when I should have been writing grant applications, I was dragged out for a bush-walk. However, my arm didn’t have to be twisted too hard, since it was a fine day and the track between Kiriwhakapapa and Blue Range is lovely (although steep).

Alseuosmia pusilla

Alseuosmia pusilla

Alseuosmia pusilla was abundant along the track. This is a very interesting little shrub. It looks a LOT like a juvenile of the completely unrelated horopito (Pseudowintera colorata) tree, which is also known as pepper tree because its leaves have a peppery taste.  (Horopito is sometimes also called “ice cream plant” to the uninitiated…)

horopito, pepper tree, Pseudowintera colorata

Horopito, pepper tree, Pseudowintera colorata

It’s been suggested that this is a case of mimicry, the palatable Alseuosmia pusilla mimicking the unpalatable horopito, although this is controversial.

The similarity is certainly sufficient to often fool me, until I take a good look (the Alseuosmia flowers and fruit are very different to horopito) or have a little taste of the leaves.

Fruit of Alseuosmia pusilla

Fruit of Alseuosmia pusilla

There are only a few species of Alseuosmia, and they are all only found in New Zealand. They are fantastically morphologically-variable, and it can be difficult to work out which species is which. The tallest species, A. macrophylla (toropapa or karapapa) has big flowers that are often very colourful. They are also heavily scented, such that the plants are often smelt before they’re seen!

Alseuosmia macrophylla, from near Auckland

Alseuosmia macrophylla, from near Auckland

Te Papa’s collection includes a specimen of Alseuosmia macrophylla collected in 1769 during Captain Cook’s first expedition to New Zealand.  You can view it here.

By Leon Perrie | Posted in Collections Online, Plants | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (4)
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 281 other followers