Tag Archives: threatened

Rare success – rediscovery of several bryophyte species

19 December 2011 – 11.54am

Te Papa’s botanists made several significant finds during their explorations accompanying the recent Bryophyte and Lichen Workshop.

Led by Research Associate Peter Beveridge and Research Fellow Patrick Brownsey, the moss Dicranoweisia spenceri was found in some abundance at the site we investigated within Tongariro National Park.  This is great news because this is only the second known living population of Dicranoweisia spenceri, after its recent rediscovery at Arthur’s Pass by Landcare Research’s Allan Fife.  More sites around Tongariro National Park now need to be searched for Dicranoweisia spenceri to determine how widespread it is there.

The moss Dicranoweisia spenceri on a branch of a beech tree, Tongariro area. Photo Leon Perrie, © Te Papa.

Close-up image of Dicranoweisia spenceri.

Interestingly, Peter realised the importance of some of his collected* specimens only after we had returned home and he examined them with a microscope – the moss Hampeella pallens from the Bay of Plenty and an undescribed species of Lopholejeunea liverwort near Mahia.  In addition to a 1983 record from the Kaimai Ranges, Hampeella pallens was known from the Bay of Plenty but without a precise locality.  It has a current threat classification of Nationally Critical, one step above Extinct.

It is indicative of the challenges that these tiny plants present that we did not recognise the Hampeella pallens and Lopholejeunea in the field.  Bryophyte identification can take considerable skill and often necessitates microscopic examination.  One of the goals of the annual Bryophyte and Lichen Workshop is to share and develop those skills.

Previous blogs on the Workshop: 2009, 2010.

The liverwort Petalophyllum preissii (centre), Kaikoura. It is similar to Petalophyllum hodgsoniae, which we looked for unsuccessfully in Morere Springs Reserve. Photo David Glenny, © Landcare Research.

We also had some search failures.  We didn’t find the distinctive Petalophyllum hodgsoniae, a liverwort that looks a bit like a fingernail-sized lettuce.  It is known from a single 1947 collection, and is regarded as Nationally Critical.  Visitors to the forest behind the thermal pools at Morere, near Mahia, might keep an eye out for it during spring and early summer.

Our observations, be they positive or negative, provide data for the Department of Conservation sponsored Bryophyte Expert Panel to re-assess the Threat Classification of New Zealand’s bryophytes.

The 2010 evaluation of the threat status for New Zealand’s mosses and liverworts.

More about how Te Papa’s botanists contribute to plant conservation.

We also looked for a Porella liverwort known from a mid-twentieth century record on the coast at Whakamahi near Wairoa.  Unfortunately the area is now devoid of native forest, so there wasn’t much to search.  Many mosses and liverworts have specific habitats.  If the habitats are destroyed, so too are the inhabitants.  Which is why accurately documenting the distribution of New Zealand’s biota, no matter how small the plant or animal, is so important – surely we do not want to inadvertently consign more species to extinction. 

Thanks to Allan Fife and David Glenny, bryologists at Landcare Research’s herbarium at Lincoln, for their expertise and support.

* made under a Department of Conservation permit.

By Leon Perrie | Posted in Field trips, Plants | Also tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (4)

How Te Papa contributes to plant conservation

20 November 2011 – 4.13pm

In the next two weeks, some of Te Papa’s Botany staff will be looking for several poorly known mosses and liverworts.

For instance, the moss Dicranoweisia spenceri was recorded more than 60 years ago from near Mount Ruapehu but it hasn’t been reported from there since – is it still there? We’re going to check.

A specimen of the moss Dicranoweisia spenceri in Te Papa’s collection. This species has a conservation ranking of “Data deficient”; that is, not enough is known about its occurrence to classify the level of threat it faces. © Te Papa.

Conservation managers need to know what is rare and what is not. It allows them to prioritise (increasingly) stretched resources to those plants and animals at most risk of extinction.

New Zealand’s herbaria (collections of dried plant specimens) collectively have over one million specimens (Te Papa has c. 250000). These collections voucher, or provide physical proof, of what plants are in New Zealand, what they look like, and where they occur. Many species occur commonly and over large areas, but many others are only known from a few sites, placing them at risk of extinction.

Te Papa’s botany collection.

New Zealand Virtual Herbarium – an aggregate database of NZ’s herbaria.

One million specimens sounds a lot. But there’s still huge gaps in the documentation of New Zealand’s native plants (not to mention adventive and cultivated plants).

Mosses and liverworts pose a particular challenge. They’re small and underappreciated, and there’s far fewer people capable of identifying them compared with bigger plants.

What are mosses and liverworts?

There are about 520 mosses and 600 liverwort species in New Zealand. Yet in the recent threat evaluation of these groups, 135 taxa/entities are listed as “Data Deficient”. That is, not enough is known about them to even rate how threatened they are.

The 2010 evaluation of the threat status for New Zealand’s mosses and liverworts.

Which is why the Bryophyte and Lichen Workshop is so important. This is an annual gathering of people – amateurs and professionals, beginners and experts – interested in mosses, liverworts, and lichens. This year the Workshop is based in Matawai, between Opotiki and Gisborne. Three staff and a Research Associate from Te Papa are taking part. There’s very few previous records of mosses and liverworts from the Matawai area, so we’ll be collecting a specimen of every species we find, including common species. But we’ll have a close eye out for those regarded as Data Deficient, both during the Workshop and at targeted sites during our travel there and back.

I’ll let you know what we turn up.

Previous blogs on the Workshop: 2009, 2010.

By Leon Perrie | Posted in Field trips, Plants | Also tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

Delight and Disaster in the Rubbish Heap

24 March 2011 – 3.29pm

I’m always keen to add to the number of plants I can recognise. Weeds are a profitable group in that respect.

One of the species of poroporo, Solanum aviculare. Photo © Leon Perrie.

Recently my wife pointed out an interesting looking organic rubbish heap on the grounds of Massey University that was home to an odd-looking Solanum. Imagine my delight when, on closer inspection, I found it to be not a weedy exotic but a real indigenous treasure: Solanum aviculare.

Solanum aviculare is one of two similar species known as poroporo. The other is Solanum laciniatum, which is very common and widespread through New Zealand. Solanum aviculare, on the other hand, is on the Threatened Plants lists as “At Risk/Declining”. I have never knowingly seen it before, so I was very excited!

Handily, at this rubbish heap the two species of poroporo were growing together, facilitating easy comparison. Although their leaves were strikingly different here, the best way to distinguish them is by their flowers: the petals of S. aviculare are less fused and more deeply cut than those of S. laciniatum.

The two poroporo side-by-side. Solanum laciniatum is on the left, Solanum aviculare on the right. Photo © Leon Perrie.

Flowers of the two poroporo. Solanum laciniatum is on the left, Solanum aviculare on the right. Photos © Leon Perrie.

The DISASTER comes because a week after taking these pictures, this rubbish heap was “cleaned up” – an unfortunate demise for this rarity! Hopefully we can find more S. aviculare locally.

Unripe fruit of poroporo, Solanum laciniatum. Photo © Leon Perrie.

Both poroporo species have similar fruit, which can be eaten when they are ripe (when orange, with bursting skin). However, they’re poisonous when green and unripe, so be wary! They belong to the same genus as tomatoes, potatoes, and black nightshade, and the same family as deadly nightshade. It’s a minefield of nutrition and toxicity.

Interestingly, both Solanum aviculare and S. laciniatum occur in Australia, where they are known as kangaroo apple.

By Leon Perrie | Posted in Plants | Also tagged , , , , , | Comments (5)
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