New Zealand Plant Reintroductions
Doodia squarrosa (Blechnaceae)
Mana Island (217 ha, off SW North Island). Introduced to establish a self-sustaining population of this regionally threatened fern. Contact John Sawyer.
Lepidium oleraceum (Cruciferae, Cook's scurvy grass)
Matui-Somes Island (25 ha, Wellington Harbour). Translocated from Mana Island. Contact John Sawyer.
Lepidium flexicaule (Nau or Cooks Scurvy Grass)
Rangitoto Island (ca. 2000 ha, Hauraki Gulf 8 km from Auckland). Reintroduction. 150 small plants, and also some seed and seedlings, were planted at 4 sites, June 2000. L. flexicaule was previously extinct in the North Island, but was once found at many coastal sites in Auckland including North Head, Takapuna, Onehunga, Rangitoto, Waitakere and Te Henga (the most recent record from the 1930s). Material was grown from seed sourced from the west cost of the South Island - the closest extant population - in a joint Auckland Regional Botanic Gardens and DOC project. Contact Rebecca Stanley, Auckland Regional Council.
Muehlenbeckia astonii (Polygonaceae)
Turakirae Scientific Reserve. Reintroduced from Baring Head and Turakirae. The goals are to restoration a critically endangered species to where it was historically present, to re-establish the coastal plant community there, and to develop a protocol for carrying out reintroductions of the species to mainland sites. The research component is being undertaken by David Norton at Canterbury University. Contact John Sawyer.
Teucridium parvifolium (Verbenaceae)
Bartons Bush (Hutt Valley). Reintroduced from Cater Scenic Reserve. The goal is to restore a threatened plant species to a site where it used to occur. Contact John Sawyer.
Metrosideros robusta (Myrtaceae, Northern Rata)
Mana Island and Matiu-Somes Island. This threatened species is being restored to these islands and other sites as part revegetation programmes designed to restore forest plant communitites. Propagules come from Rimutaka Forest Park. Contact John Sawyer.
Karori Wildlife Sanctuary (225 ha mainland restoration area surrounded by a mammal-proof fence, central Wellington, North Island). Reintroduction. Between 2004 and 2006 just over 200 northern rata seedlings have been planted in the sanctuary to restore the lowland forest community. Propagules have been locally sourced and grown by Forest and Bird members, and seedlings have been planted in the ground by sanctuary volunteers. These plantings will continue as plants become available. In 2006 18 small rata plants were provided and placed in the forks of hinau trees in the sanctuary by Wellington City Council staff, to initiate trials to determine if rata could be established epiphytically. Additional plants will be made available for experimentation in future years. Contact Raewyn Empson.
Streblus banksii (Moraceae, Large-leaved Milk Tree)
Matiu-Somes Island. This threatened species is being restored to Matiu-Somes Island and other sites as part revegetation programmes designed to restore forest plant communitites. Propagules come from Mana Island. Contact John Sawyer.
Karori Wildlife Sanctuary (225 ha mainland restoration area surrounded by a mammal-proof fence, central Wellington, North Island). Reintroduction. Between 2000 and 2002 almost 100 Milk tree seedlings have been planted in the sanctuary to restore the lowland forest community. Propagules have been sourced from Mana Island and grown by Forest and Bird members, and seedlings have been planted by sanctuary volunteers. These plantings will continue as plants become available. Contact Raewyn Empson.
Ileostylus micranthus (Loranthaceae, Misletoe)
Te Marua, Upper Hutt. Material translocated from Benge Park, Upper Hutt. Appears to be successfully established. Contact:John Sawyer.
Mokoia Island (135 ha, in Lake Rotorua, North Island). Seed was translocated from nearby mainland areas (100 seeds from Blue Lake camping ground, 17 from Hamurana) in June 1999. The translocation was part of the Mokoia Island restoration programme. It is likely that this species would have been found on Mokoia historically (before clearing and subsequent regeneration), but this cannot be confirmed. Whole fruit were collected, stored overnight in paper bags, and seeds were squeezed directly onto the host plants from the fruit the next day. 4-5 seeds were placed on 28 plants of mahoe (Melicytus ramiflorus), wineberry (Aristotelia serrata) and kohuhu (Pittosporum tenuifolium), on branches of 1-2 cm diameter. The host plants were in several locations around the island, all near the lakeshore and with high light levels. Subsequent seed translocations have been undertaken in following years but there are no confirmed Ileostylus plants established to date. Contact Paul Cashmore.
Tupeia antarctica (Loranthaceae, Misletoe)
Mokoia Island (135 ha, in Lake Rotorua, North Island). 51 seeds were translocated from nearby mainland areas (Blue Lake camping ground and Lake Okareka) in June 1999. The translocation was part of the Mokoia Island restoration programme. It is likely that this species would have been found on Mokoia historically (before clearing and subsequent regeneration), but this cannot be confirmed. Whole fruit were collected, stored overnight in paper bags, and seeds were squeezed directly onto the host plants from the fruit the next day. 6-9 seeds were placed on 8 fivefinger (Pseudopanax arboreus) trees, on branches of 1-2 cm diameter. The host plants were in several locations around the island, all near the lakeshore and with high light levels. Subsequent seed translocations have been undetaken in following years with various methods tried. To date (2007) at least 15 plants have established on the island. Most of these have established within last 4 years. It appears that it takes at least 2.5 years for plants to reach sufficient size (<10cm) that they can be located. Plants have all established on young, healthy fivefinger on small diameter branches. Contact Paul Cashmore.
Clianthus puniceusvar puniceus (Kakabeak)
Moturemu Island (Kaipara Harbour). Reintroduction. 12 plants translocated in September 1997 from ex situ collection at the Auckland Regional Botanic Gardens. The plants were of Moturemu provenance. The wild population on Moturemu has only recently become extinct, probably due to shade suppression by weeds. 2/12 plants were alive at January 1999. Contact Rebecca Stanley, Auckland Regional Council.
Dactylanthus taylorii
Dactylanthus is a fully parasitic, flowering, root parasite which grows underground attached to the roots of forest trees, obtaining all its nutrients from the host tree. Dactylanthus is more visible when the plant is flowering (in Autumn) as the flowers are sent up and sit on the ground.
Tiritiri Matangi Island (220 ha, Hauraki Gulf). Conservation Introduction. Seeds translocated from Little Barrier Island in October 1998. The aim was to introduce this plant to a predator free site, and also to have an advocacy planting in Auckland. It will also provide a second site as an insurance population in case anything happens to the site on Little Barrier Island. Seed was placed around the roots of known host plants on Tiritiri Matangi. Only one successful ex situ planting of Dactylanthus has been documented, and it took about 8 years for the plant to become apparent on the soil surface. No successful translocation into the wild has been documented, though there are currently several projects where seed has been planted in the wild. We expect it could be between 6-8 years before we see any obvious signs the transfer has been successful. Contact Rebecca Stanley, Auckland Regional Council.
Mokoia Island (135 ha, in Lake Rotorua, North Island). The initial seed translocation was undertaken in June 2000 with seed from nearby population on Mamaku Plateau. Seeds were sown at 7 sites around Mokoia in a total of 35 plots. Subsequent monitoring has revealed that only one plot out of 35 plots in total has a dactylanthus clump established in 2005. In 2006 a decision was made to undertake a second smaller translocation of seed in order to hopefully increase the size of the potential future dactylanthus population. Seeds were sown at 4 sites around Mokoia Island in a total of 17 plots. Contact Paul Cashmore.
Waipapa Ecological Area (Pureora Forest Park, central North Island). The seeding trial was established in January 1999. A total of 24 50 x 50 cm plots were established at four sites, with two different sowing densities used and three replicates for each sowing density at each site. Site differences were a) predominant host tree species (lancewood, kohuhu, fivefinger) and b) exposure (open canopy vs. closed canopy). In 2003, 4 years after sowing, Dactylanthus had emerged in 2 of the 24 plots. Since then, all plots have been caged (in November 2003) with fine (5 mm) mesh to prevent rat and possum browse. By 2007 results have shown that:
a) Dactylanthus has established in at leas t 20 out of 24 plots from sown seeds; b) successful establishment has occurred through both sowing densities, with equal success rate; c) broad sowing has resulted in a larger number of inflorescences overall and per plot; d) successful establishment occurred at all 4 sites, despite differences in host species densities and -ages and canopy openness; and e) the vast majority of inflorescences is female, a trend confirmed from the previous seasons. For further information see Holzapfel & Dodgson (2004). Contact Avi Holzapfel.
Plant reintroductions for restoration of a dolomite quarry
All over the world plant species have adapted to the high concentrations of calcium and magnesium in dolomitic limestone. At Mt Burnett in NW Nelson, New Zealand, several “dolomitophilic” endemics occur, including two forest small trees (Myrsine argentea, Melicytusaff obovatus), a forest fern (Hymenophyllumaff flexuosum), a sedge (Carex dolomitica), and a variety of bluff shrubs and herbs (e.g., Hebe albicans). Alternatively, many more widespread species take on unusual forms on the dolomite, such as a dwarf flax (Phormium cookianum). The dolomite outcrop covers less than 10 ha of land adjacent to Kahurangi National Park and there has been public pressure to limit quarrying. The owners have agreed to a restoration plan involving the progressive closure of quarried benches as the dolomite is removed. The primary focus is on the endemic species, varieties and forms, and fortunately most are happy on exposed bluffs. These will be left with as great a range of habitat diversity as possible, given a need for long-term safety and stability. The plants are propagated from seed and cuttings, grown on in a nursery then replanted in prepared ground along each bench. Trials over 6 years indicate that the rare plants can be grown and returned to the site. Planting begins in earnest this year. From Philip Simpson.