Resources
Quarterly newsletters
Nelson Botanical Society produces a quarterly newsletter. As well as reports on trips and meetings, the newsletter has contributions from members, including a focus on a regional endemic, taxonomic updates, handy identification guides, observations, and more.
#10, Summer 2023-24 #9, Spring 2023 #8, Winter 2023 #7, Autumn 2023 #6, Summer 2022-23 #5, Spring 2022 #4, Autumn 2022 #3, Summer 2022 #2, Spring 2021 #1, Winter 2021
Recent illustrated monthly newsletters pre-dating the quarterly are available online. The main focus of these newsletters is trip reports, but some contain other information of botanical interest, e.g. weed information sheets put together by Chris Ecroyd.
April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 November 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020
Nelson Botanical Society library
Books of botanical interest are available for members to borrow. Click here for details.
Identification
GENERAL
New Zealand Plant Conservation Network
A source of comprehensive, accessible and accurate information on New Zealand flora. Membership is very reasonable, and this is an organisation worth supporting.
nzpcn.org.nz
Introduction to Plant Life in New Zealand
This publication from the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network is a very useful introduction to the basics of plant identification. It’s free in electronic form or can be purchased from the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network.
https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/conservation/training/module-1-plant-life/
Electronic Flora of New Zealand - Landcare Research/Manaaki Whenua
Easy access to the most authoritative, accurate, and up to date information on New Zealand plants. It covers the New Zealand botanical region and includes flowering plants, gymnosperms, ferns, and bryophytes, and naturalised as well as indigenous plants. Fully searchable.
http://www.nzflora.info
Key to Flowering Plant Genera of New Zealand – Landcare Research/Manaaki Whenua
This interactive key will allow you to identify to genus New Zealand's flowering plants that are wild (native and naturalised) and casual (reproducing themselves in gardens or known wild from single records).
https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/tools-and-resources/identification/key-to-flowering-plant-genera-of-new-zealand/
Ngā Tipu Whakaoranga – Māori Plant Use Database – Landcare Research/Manaaki Whenua
Traditional uses of New Zealand native plants by Māori
https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/tools-and-resources/databases/nga-tipu-whakaoranga-maori-plant-use-database/
Key to the Weed Species of New Zealand – Landcare Research/Manaaki Whenua
An interactive key for the identification of more than 650 weeds.
https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/tools-and-resources/identification/key-to-the-weed-species-of-new-zealand/
Australasian Virtual Herbarium
The Australasian Virtual Herbarium (AVH) is an online resource that provides dynamic access to the wealth of plant specimen data held by Australian and New Zealand herbaria. The AVH is a collaborative project developed under the auspices of the Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria (CHAH).
Australian and New Zealand herbaria house over eight million specimens of plants, algae and fungi. These specimens provide a permanent record of the occurrence of a species at a particular place and time, and are the primary resource for research on the classification and distribution of the Australasian flora.
https://avh.chah.org.au
NATIVE ORCHIDS
Key to Native Orchids of New Zealand – Landcare Research/Manaaki Whenua
An interactive key for the identification of more than 120 species and informal entities of New Zealand native orchids.
https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/tools-and-resources/identification/key-to-native-orchids-of-new-zealand/
New Zealand Native Orchid Group
http://www.nativeorchids.co.nz
Their very useful website gives descriptions and photos of most of the recognised species, along with details on where to find them and flowering times. For their publications, see https://www.nativeorchids.co.nz/publications/publications-for-sale/
FUNGI
Fungi identification – Landcare Research/Manaaki Whenua
A simple guide to fungi.
https://fungalguide.landcareresearch.co.nz/WebForms/FG_Home.aspx
NZ Fungi: Exploring the forest floors of New Zealand
’NZFungi.com is a site for showcasing what I find out in the New Zealand bush via macro photography and nature writing paired with whatever information (if any) I find online - to make sense of how fungi play into the wider scheme of the natural world.’ Beautiful fungi photography.
https://nzfungi.com
FERNS
Ferns and Lycophytes - Flora of New Zealand
Downloadable PDFs of all fern and fern allies families in New Zealand, excellent photographs.
http://www.nzflora.info/publications.html
Guides to the ferns and lycophytes of New Zealand
Curator Botany Leon Perrie and Research Fellow Patrick Brownsey are compiling photographic guides to the ferns and lycophytes in Aotearoa New Zealand.
These guides contain a photographic overview of each family in Aotearoa New Zealand, a diagnostic page for each species, and is written for a wide audience. Only the more common taxonomic synonyms and colloquial names are given.
The guides complement – and are based on – the published electronic chapters of Flora of New Zealand – Ferns and Lycophytes for each family.
https://inaturalist.nz/posts/68134-photo-guide-for-new-zealand-s-filmy-ferns
Basic fern identification, ‘How to learn ferns’, Leon Perrie
https://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2013/04/15/how-to-learn-ferns/
MOSSES
MOSSES - Flora of New Zealand
Downloadable PDFs of all moss families in New Zealand, great illustrations.
http://www.nzflora.info/publications.html
GRASSES
Key to the grasses of New Zealand – Landcare Research/Manaaki Whenua
The key includes 442 species and 4 hybrid taxa of indigenous and naturalised grasses of New Zealand. Illustrated with 3094 images.
https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/tools-and-resources/identification/key-to-the-grasses-of-new-zealand/
BEECHES
BEECHES - Flora of New Zealand
Downloadable PDFs of New Zealand beech species, excellent photographs.
http://www.nzflora.info/pdfs/FloraOfNewZealand-SeedPlants-3-FordHeenanSmissen-2016-Nothofagaceae.pdf
IDENTIFYING NATIVE BEECHES: Fuscospora and Lophozonia
Handy identification guide (full size) from Quarterly Newsletter, Winter 2021.
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/184RNn3M16X6Va80pKjBUpzsx7lptRASq
COPROSMAS
Key to Coprosma species of New Zealand – Landcare Research/Manaaki Whenua
The key is illustrated with 500 images of species and the features used to identify them and has a factsheet for each species that provides a list of distinct features, comparisons with similar species, description, habitat and distribution details, and references to literature.
https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/tools-and-resources/identification/key-to-coprosma-species-of-new-zealand/
MYRTACEAE
Key to New Zealand Myrtaceae
https://keys.landcareresearch.co.nz/nzmyrtaceae/key/nzmyrtaceae/Media/Html/intro/index.htm
CONIFERS
The Gymnosperm Database
’The Web's premier source of information on conifers and their allies. Since we went online on 1997, the Database has attracted worldwide attention as a readily accessible, scientifically accurate source of information on the classification, description, ecology and uses of this culturally and ecologically important group of plants.’
https://www.conifers.org
OTHER IDENTIFICATION GUIDES
Identification of small-leaved Hydrocotyle species in New Zealand
A useful guide compiled by Chris Ecroyd.
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/184RNn3M16X6Va80pKjBUpzsx7lptRASq
Images for leaf tooth hyathodes article in Quarterly, Spring 2023
Leaf tooth hyathodes images
Other organisations and resources
Other New Zealand regional botanical society journals
Journals for Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago botanical societies:
https://bts.nzpcn.org.nz
New Zealand Ecological Society
http://www.nzes.org.nz/
New Zealand Journal of Botany
http://www.royalsociety.org.nz/publications/journals/nzjb
Other items of interest
‘Fools & Dreamers: Regenerating a Native Forest’ is a free 30-minute documentary about Hinewai Nature Reserve, on New Zealand’s Banks Peninsula, and its kaitiaki/manager of 30 years, botanist Hugh Wilson.
https://happenfilms.com/fools-and-dreamers