What we plant and protect

This page is only intended to help you with identifying those plants (as many as possible) that we are using (planting) or protecting in this project.

Botanical Naming

Rare White Rata Vine in flower, February 2010

Rare White Rata Vine in flower, February 2010
[Larger image]

Copyright: Sylvia Jenkin

Botanical plant names follow an International code that groups botanically similar plants in a systematic way based on the descriptions of a plant's means of reproduction, ie the structure of their flowers.

The system allows for four levels of naming; Family, Genus, Species, Cultivar.

The last three levels are used in situations such as plant labels.

An easy and helpful way of understanding botanical naming is to think of the Genus as a Surname and the Species as the First Name.  The names are printed in italics, the genus name always beginning with a capital letter, and the species name a lower case letter.  Latin and Greek are primarily used for these names, plus bits of other languages as well as names of people and places

For example in the name Metrosideros excelsa (Pohutakawa):

  • Metrosideros is the Genus (surname), and
  • excelsa is the species (first name).

Metrosideros excelsa is Pohutakawa, or New Zealand Christmas Tree.

Metrosideros perforata is White rata (vine).

Metrosideros robusta is Northern rata.

Metrosideros umbellata is South Island rata.

What we plant and protect
Botanical Name Common Name Maori Name Links
Aristotelia serrata wineberry makomako leaves
Arthropodium cirratum NZ rock lily rengarenga
Beilschmiedia tawa tawa tawa leaves
Carex secta niggerhead pukio flora details
Carpodetus serratus marbleleaf putaputaweta
Chamaecytisus prolifer
var. palmensis		 tree lucerne flowers, leaves and seeds
Coprosma areolata coprosma   flora details
Coprosma cunninghamii coprosma   flora details
Coprosma grandifolia coprosma   flora details
Coprosma propinqua swamp coprosma mingimingi flora details
Coprosma rhamanioides thorny coprosma   flora details
Coprosma robusta coprosma karamu leaves and fruit
flora details
Cordyline australis cabbage tree ti kouka
Cordyline banksii x forest cabbage tree ti ngahere
Dacrycarpus dacryioides kahikatea / white pine kahikatea flora details
Dacrydium cupressinum rimu / red pine rimu leaves
Dysoxylum spectabile NZ mahogany kohekohe flowers and leaves
fruit
Geniestoma ligustrifolium maori privet hangehange
Hebe stricta hebe koromiko flower
Leptospermum scoparium tea tree manuka
Macropiper excelsum pepper tree kawakawa
Melicope ternata   wharangi  
Melicytus ramiflorus whiteywood mahoe leaves and fruit
Metrosideros perforata white rata rata flowers
Myrsine australis red matipo mapou
Parsonia hetrophlla NZ jasmine kaihua
Pennantia corymbosa bellbird tree kaikomako
Phormium cookianum mountain flax wharariki
Pittosporum eugenioides lemonwood tarata leaves
Pittosporum tenuifolium black matipo kohuhu / kohukohu leaves and unripe fruit
Podocarpus totara totara totara bark and leaves
Prumnopitys taxifolia black pine matai leaves
Pseudopanax arboreus fivefinger whauwhaupaku leaves and fruit
Pseudopanax crassifolius lancewood horoeka juvenile and adult
Solanum lacciniatum nightshade poroporo
Sophora microphylla kowhai kowhai flowers