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Barrytown Flats
The Barrytown Flats are a coastal plain north of Greymouth on the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. A series of Holocene, postglacial shorelines and dunes backed by a former sea cliff, they was originally covered with wetland and lowland forest, including numerous Rhopalostylis sapida, nīkau palms (the southern limit of this species on the West Coast). The sands were extensively Placer mining, sluiced and Gold dredge, dredged for gold from the 1860s, centred on the small settlement of Barrytown. The drier areas of the flats have been converted into pasture, but significant areas of forest remain, including Nikau Scenic Reserve. The flats are bordered by Paparoa National Park and the only breeding site of the Westland petrel (''Procellaria westlandica''). There are significant deposits of ilmenite (titanium dioxide) in the Barrytown sands, and there have been several mining proposals, but the possible environmental consequences have been contentio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plain
In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands. In a valley, a plain is enclosed on two sides, but in other cases a plain may be delineated by a complete or partial ring of hills, by mountains, or by cliffs. Where a geological region contains more than one plain, they may be connected by a pass (sometimes termed a gap). Coastal plains mostly rise from sea level until they run into elevated features such as mountains or plateaus. Plains are one of the major landforms on earth, where they are present on all continents, and cover more than one-third of the world's land area. Plains can be formed from flowing lava; from deposition of sediment by water, ice, or wind; or formed by erosion by the agents from hills and mountains. Biomes on plains include grassland ( temperate or subtr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Metrosideros Robusta
''Metrosideros robusta'', the northern rātā, is a forest tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows up to or taller, and usually begins its life as a hemiepiphyte high in the branches of a mature forest tree; over centuries the young tree sends descending and girdling roots down and around the trunk of its host, eventually forming a massive, frequently hollow pseudotrunk composed of fused roots. In disturbed ground, or where there are gaps in the forest cover, northern rātā will grow on the ground with a normal but short trunk. Distribution Northern rātā is found in the North Island from Te Paki in the north to Wellington in the south. Formerly widespread, it is now uncommon over large parts of its former range, and is apparently absent from all but the south-east of Hawkes Bay. In the South Island, northern rātā is common from Nelson to Greymouth and Hokitika. It reaches its southern limit near Lake Mahinapua at 42°4′ South latitude. The natural habitat is forest along ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Conservation Volunteers New Zealand
Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and management of the environment and natural resources * Conservation biology, the science of protection and management of biodiversity * Conservation movement, political, environmental, or social movement that seeks to protect natural resources, including biodiversity and habitat * Conservation organization, an organization dedicated to protection and management of the environment or natural resources * Wildlife conservation, the practice of protecting wild species and their habitats in order to prevent species from going extinct * ''Conservation'' (magazine), published by the Society for Conservation Biology from 2000 to 2014 ** ''Conservation Biology'' (journal), scientific journal of the Society for Conservation Biology Physical laws * Cons ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Department Of Conservation (New Zealand)
The Department of Conservation (DOC; Māori: ''Te Papa Atawhai'') is the public service department of New Zealand charged with the conservation of New Zealand's natural and historical heritage. An advisory body, the New Zealand Conservation Authority (NZCA) is provided to advise DOC and its ministers. In addition there are 15 conservation boards for different areas around the country that provide for interaction between DOC and the public. Function Overview The department was formed on 1 April 1987, as one of several reforms of the public service, when the ''Conservation Act 1987'' was passed to integrate some functions of the Department of Lands and Survey, the Forest Service and the Wildlife Service. This act also set out the majority of the department's responsibilities and roles. As a consequence of Conservation Act all Crown land in New Zealand designated for conservation and protection became managed by the Department of Conservation. This is about 30% of New Z ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coprosma Propinqua
''Coprosma propinqua'' is a New Zealand plant of the genus ''Coprosma'' in the family Rubiaceae. Its Māori name (in common New Zealand usage) is ''mingimingi'', a name which is also applied to closely related species such as '' C. dumosa'', '' C. rhamnoides'', '' C. virescens'' and '' C. crassifolia''. It is a small-leaved shrub or tree which grows 3 to 6 metres high. It has divaricating branches, and is common in swampy forest, in scrub, along stream banks and in stony places. It has a wide distribution, ranging from Mangonui in the North Island as far south as Stewart Island. It grows from sea level to 460 metres. The male flowers occur in axillary clusters of one to four on very short branches. Female flowers are found on their own at the ends of short branchlets. The fruit is a drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phormium
''Phormium'' is a genus of two plant species in the family Asphodelaceae. One species is endemic to New Zealand and the other is native to New Zealand and Norfolk Island. The two species are widely known in New Zealand as flax or their Māori names ''wharariki'' and ''harakeke'' respectively'','' and elsewhere as New Zealand flax or flax lily, but they are not closely related to the Northern Hemisphere's flax (''Linum usitatissimum''), which is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and has been used by humans since 30,000 B.C. Taxonomy Monocot classification has undergone significant revision in the past decade, and recent classification systems (including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group) have found ''Phormium'' to be closely related to daylilies (''Hemerocallis''), placing it in family Asphodelaceae, subfamily Hemerocallidoideae. ''Phormium'' formerly belonged to the family Agavaceae and many classification systems still place it there. It includ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gorse In New Zealand
Gorse (''Ulex europaeus'') was introduced to New Zealand in the early stages of European settlement. It is now a major invasive plant species with millions of dollars spent on its control. Introduction to New Zealand Introduced from Western Europe in the very early stages of European settlement, it was recorded by Charles Darwin during his voyage through New Zealand waters in 1835 as growing in hedges in the Bay of Islands. Its spread and development as a weed in New Zealand's temperate climate was rapid, but settlers failed to recognise the threat; gorse seed continued to be imported and plantings deliberately established into the 1900s. Uses Gorse has been used for hedges and windbreaks on the Canterbury Plains since the 1850s. These windbreaks have a combined length of 300,000 kilometres. Gorse has been found to form a useful nursery for many species for native bush regeneration. When young, gorse bushes are very dense. As they grow older, they become 'leggy', and provide ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Olearia Avicenniifolia
''Olearia avicenniifolia'', known commonly as mountain akeake, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is endemic to New Zealand where it is found on the southern coastlines of the South Island and on Stewart Island. It is classified as Not Threatened. Description Mountain akeake is a small, bushy shrub or tree that grows up to 6 metres tall and 3 metres wide. It has thin, papery bark and angular branchlets covered in white tomentum. Leaves are oblong-lanceolate in shape. They are dark green in colour with a downy, white underside. Leaf length varies between 5–10 cm long and 3–5 cm wide. Flowers are clustered and daisy-like with white rays and purple central disks. They emerge between November and February and have a sweet scent. Flowers are about 5 centimetres wide and carried in clusters of three to ten. The flowers develop into fluffy seeds. Taxonomy It was first described in 1946 by Raoul as ''Shawia avicenniifolia'' and transferred to the ''Oleari ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sophora Microphylla
''Sophora microphylla'', common name kōwhai, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to New Zealand. Growing to tall and broad, it is an evergreen shrub or small tree. Each leaf is long with up to 40 pairs of shiny oval leaflets. In early spring it produces many racemes of pea-like yellow flowers. Other common names include weeping kōwhai and small-leaved kōwhai. It is also referred to as South Island Kowhai although this name is misleading since it is widely distributed all over New Zealand including the North Island, though less common in Northland. The specific epithet ''microphylla'' means "small-leaved". ''S. microphylla'' has smaller leaves (around 3–6 mm long by 2–5 mm wide) and flowers (1.8-5.0 cm long), than the other well known species ''Sophora tetraptera'' (large-leaved kōwhai). When young ''S. microphylla'' has a divaricating and bushy growth habit with many interlacing branches, which begins to disappear as the tree ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Podocarpus Totara
''Podocarpus totara'' (; from the Maori-language ; the spelling "totara" is also common in English) is a species of podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island and northeastern South Island in lowland, montane and lower subalpine forest at elevations of up to 600 m. Tōtara is commonly found in lowland areas where the soil is fertile and well drained. Description The tōtara is a medium to large tree, which grows slowly to around 20 to 25 m, exceptionally to 35 m; it is noted for its longevity and the great girth of its trunk. The bark peels off in papery flakes, with a purplish to golden brown hue. The sharp, dull-green, needle-like leaves are stiff and leathery, 2 cm long. This plant produces highly modified cones with two to four fused, fleshy, berry-like, juicy scales, bright red when mature. The cone contains one or two rounded seeds at the apex of the scales. The largest known living tōtara, the Pouakani Tree, near Pureora in the ce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Podocarpus Laetus
''Podocarpus laetus'' is a species of conifer in the family Podocarpaceae, commonly known as Hall's tōtara, mountain tōtara or thin-barked tōtara. Previously known as ''Podocarpus hallii'' and ''Podocarpus cunninghamii'', in 2015 it was realised that the much earlier name ''P. laetus'' has priority. Its common name results from the species being named after J. W. Hall, a New Zealand pharmacist. It is found only in New Zealand. It can be found growing in both montane and subalpine forests but less common in lowland forests. ''P. laetus'' is distinguished from the more widely known lowland tōtara ''Podocarpus totara'' (; from the Maori-language ; the spelling "totara" is also common in English) is a species of podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island and northeastern South Island in lowland, montane a ... by its thinner bark, longer juvenile leaves and distribution at higher altitudes. References laetus Trees of New Zealan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
