What’s coming up?
Sunday 15 September
Field trip: Opouri Bridle Track
Leader: Shannel Courtney
More information
Monday 16 September
Speaker: Shirley Kerr
Subject: Exploring the Kaimai bush
More information
Te Tauihu native plant group
Do you want to know more about native plants of the top of the South Island and beyond? Nelson Botanical Society welcomes anyone with an interest in our beautiful and fascinating indigenous plants and fungi –– from complete beginners to those with knowledge to share.
Our members include expert botanists and other enthusiasts who are generous with their knowledge and can help you learn how to identify native plants. Botanical Society field trips and camps are wonderful opportunities to explore the region and learn about the local flora. No previous botanical knowledge is necessary.
Trips, camps & meetings
We have monthly field trips and occasional multi-day expeditions in the Northwest Nelson area and further afield. During the cooler months, we get together once a month, on a Monday evening, to hear speakers on interesting topics. Read more
Resources
Newsletters with trip reports and contributions from members
Links for plant identification, useful sites and other organisations
Handy identification summaries
Library books available to borrow
How to join
Come along to one of our trips or meetings, or contact us. More information
New book on Celmisia
Mountain Daisies: A guide to Celmisia in Aotearoa New Zealand
by Jane Gosden
Getting to grips with the iconic and diverse (mostly) alpine genus Celmisia – the third largest in the flora of Aotearoa/New Zealand – can be a challenge. This comprehensively illustrated guide makes it easy to identify species, subspecies and varieties.
Aimed at everyone with an interest in our alpine plants, this handy field guide takes a novel approach. Following an informative introduction, the first section identifies 17 broad groups based on plant form and leaf characteristics that can be seen in the field without magnification.
The second section applies more detailed criteria to distinguish the species and subspecies within these groups. Often the distinguishing feature may be its distribution, and maps showing the geographical range could provide a quick identification.
Species-by-species descriptions (including varieties, and with separate entries for subspecies) make up the bulk of the book. With over 900 photographs, most features described in the text are illustrated.
The vexed questions of hybrids, unnamed entities and challenging lookalikes are also addressed.
For more information and to order your copy: https://www.manukapress.co.nz/mountaindaisies.html
You might be interested in . . .
Alpine flora of Nelson Lakes National Park—my first encounter with giant vegetable sheep
by Melissa Hutchison
An interesting article in the NZPCN newsletter on the alpine flora in our home territory.
https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/site/assets/files/0/75/143/trilepidea_october_2023_final.pdf