Past Events

Field trip to Nenthorn, inland from Palmerston, with John Barkla

The DOC reserve at Nenthorn/Macraes is best known as a site for rare skink conservation but there is also great botanical diversity, including over 25 threatened plants. It's a landscape of rolling tussockland dotted with lichen encrusted schist rock outcrops, shallow ephemeral wetlands, and the odd deep gully with shrubby remnants. We'll seek out some of the less familiar species and should encounter coral broom, wetland herbs such as Gratiola nana and Tetrachondra hamiltonii, and the rare grass Simplicia laxa. Leave Botany carpark at 8.30 am Saturday and return late afternoon. Bring lunch and be prepared for cool changeable weather conditions. This mileage for this trip is expected to be about 100 km. Students are encouraged to apply for the student subsidy for this trip.

AGM and talk by Peter Bannister

A short AGM will be followed by an introductory talk by Emeritus Professor Peter Bannister on mistletoes. Then we'll see a special screening of a DVD entitled Exhuming Adams: a forensic investigation into the mysterious disappearance of a native mistletoe, by Brant Backlund and Thassilo Franke from last year's Natural History Film Making Course. At the Zoology Benham Building, 346 Great King Street, behind the Zoology car park by the Captain Cook Hotel. Use the main entrance of the Benham Building to get in and go to the Benham Seminar Room, Rm. 215, 2nd floor. Please be prompt as we have to hold the door open.

Trip to Akatore

Trip led by Mike Thorsen, DoC. Times to be confirmed. Akatore is a remnant of diverse coastal shrubland at the mouth of Akatore Creek 45 minutes south of Dunedin. Some special features of this site include the diversity of shrub species and threatened species such as Coprosma obconica, Olearia fragrantissima, and Carex littorosa with the possibility of our discovering other threatened species. We'll also visit the adjacent coast where the threatened cress Lepidium tenuicaule is present as well as Myosotis pygmaea.

Fish, frustules, fungi, flowers and foliage

A talk by Jennifer Bannister. An investigation into the biota of an Early Miocene maar lake and its surrounding forest. About 20 million years ago a volcanic eruption near Middlemarch, formed a crater in the schist that filled with water. This type of lake is known as a maar. Sediment gradually built up on the lake floor, mainly the valves (frustules) of diatoms, where over time a finely varved diatomite formed. A forest grew up around the lake and leaves, flowers and fruits fell or were blown into the lake, sank on to the sediment and were preserved. We are trying to identify the leaves from their cuticles to build up a picture of the type of vegetation that grew there. We already have a pollen list although this is incomplete. At the Zoology Benham Building, 346 Great King Street, behind the Zoology car park by the Captain Cook Hotel. Use the main entrance of the Benham Building to get in and go to the Benham Seminar Room, Rm. 215, 2nd floor. Please be prompt as we have to hold the door open, and seats fill fast.

Free BSO BBQ

Yes, there is such a thing as a free lunch! A BBQ to welcome new botany/ecology students and new BSO members. At the front lawn, Botany House Annex, Great King Street (across the road from the main Botany building). Sausage sandwiches and drinks provided free by the Botanical Society of Otago. All BSO members welcome!

BBQ Postponed till Friday 10 March

Due to bad weather, we've decided to postpone the BBQ till next week.

Field trip to Guilds Hill near Seacliff, Warrington, with John Barkla

Seacliff Scenic Reserve comprises three discrete indigenous forest remnants near the Truby King Reserve. One of these, Guilds Hill, has a distinctive coastal forest element that includes the uncommon fragrant tree daisy, fierce lancewood and at least two species of mistletoe, one of which is hemi-parasitic on the other! The hill top provides a great view to the south and a lunch spot. Prior to its reservation the forest had a checkered history and suffered a partial forest collapse. A number of serious weedy lianes and shrubs have subsequently established and some grazing still occurs. Come along and give your views on management options. Leave Botany carpark at 9.30 am Sunday and return early to mid afternoon. Bring lunch and be prepared for untracked walking and muddy conditions.

Flora of Macraes and potential skink/plant interactions in a changing environment

A talk by Mike Thorsen, DoC. Flora surveys of the Macraes area has shown a surprising diversity of plant species and a high number of threatened plant species. This talk introduces some of the unusual species found at Macraes and discusses how the vegetation in this area has changed in the past, how it continues to change, and how this change could impact on the population of grand and Otago skink found there. At the Zoology Benham Building, 346 Great King Street, behind the Zoology car park by the Captain Cook Hotel. Use the main entrance of the Benham Building to get in and go to the Benham Seminar Room, Rm. 215, 2nd floor. Please be prompt as we have to hold the door open, and seats fill fast.

BSO End of year Dinner

Everyone is welcome to celebrate another great botanical year at an end-of-year dinner at the Nanking Palace Restaurant, 198-204 King Edwad St, South Dunedin, Ph 455 4218. It will be a banquet-style dinner which will cost $21.50 per head (drinks extra). This restaurant is fully licenced and BYO wine. To RSVP, either contact Lyn Bentley (details below), send a note to the BSO, PO Box 6214 Dunedin North, or drop a note into the BSO pigeon hole in the Department of Botany. Please RSVP by Tuesday 29 November.

A journey southwards to the subantarctic islands

A talk by Adrienne Markey. The flora of the sub-antarctic islands, and its affinities to the flora of New Zealand has always held the interest of botanists, starting from Joseph Dalton Hooker on the Antarctic voyages of the H.M. Discovery Ships Erebus and Terror (1839 1843), to recent research using molecular markers to track the dispersal and evolution of plants in these regions. So, with great boldness and audacity, I found myself able to also make a direct comparison of these regions. Yes, the origins and evolution of the Sub-Antarctic plants fascinate me, and it offered a chance to collect both Coprosma perpusilla ssp. subantarctica and Nertera depressa from their southernmost distributions and to complement current studies that I and fellow researchers had in progress. This talk will cover a week-long trip with Heritage Expeditions that Alex Fergus and I took part in earlier this year, and will show some of the glamorous megaphyllous herbs as well as a token seabird or two. At the Zoology Benham Building, 346 Great King Street, behind the Zoology car park by the Captain Cook Hotel. Use the main entrance of the Benham Building to get in and go to the Benham Seminar Room, Rm. 215, 2nd floor. Please be prompt as we have to hold the door open. Followed by BSO End of year Dinner, 7 pm - see more details.

An overview of the animal life of pre-human Central Otago, and how it interacted with the vegetation

A talk by Jamie Wood. Jamie will portray some initial results of his PhD research, looking at a reconstruction of the prehuman fauna and flora and their interactions, using vertebrate, plant (leaves, wood, seeds, pollen) and invertebrate (focusing on beetles) sub-fossils found in lowland areas of Central Otago. At the Zoology Benham Building, 346 Great King Street, behind the Zoology car park by the Captain Cook Hotel. Use the main entrance of the Benham Building to get in and go to the Benham Seminar Room, Rm. 215, 2nd floor. Please be prompt as we have to hold the door open.

Weekend field trip to the Catlins

Building on last year's popular formula, this trip will explore several exciting botanical locations over two days. Saturday will be spent at Purakaunui Bay and its sandy beach flanked by enormous sandstone cliffs, followed by a look at the rare alluvial forest of Purakauiti Stream with its giant specimens of Pittosporum obcordatum, Melicytus flexuosus and Olearia lineata. Sunday will be based around Nugget Point with an opportunity to check out forest restoration and Olearia hectorii recovery at Otanomomo Scientific Reserve on the way home. Accommodation on Saturday night will be at Nugget Point Lighthouse Keepers house (numbers limited). Day trippers are welcome to join us on either day. To reserve accommodation or find out more contact John Barkla ph. 476 3686 (evenings) by Wednesday 2 November. Leave from Botany carpark at 8.30 am Saturday.

Ghosts of Indian Princes - 4th Annual Geoff Baylis Lecture

Assoc. Prof. Kevin S. Gould will present the 4th Annual Geoff Baylis Lecture with a talk entitled Ghosts of Indian Princes - The Remarkable Properties of Red Pigmented Plants. The eastern states of North America play host each year to one of natures most spectacular phenomena. From Maine to North Carolina a rich mural of reds, carmines, crimsons, scarlets, and purples accompanies the leaves of deciduous trees as they embark on the processes leading to winter dormancy. New Zealand, too, has its share of vermillion spread across all orders of plants from the liverworts to the angiosperms. Such displays have long been considered an extravagancy without a vital function. In contrast, recent research suggests that the red pigments anthocyanins can in some instances be critical for plant survival. Anthocyanins seem to empower plants to tolerate a diverse assortment of environmental stressors, including exposures to strong light, ultraviolet radiation, drought, cold, fungal infections, and even protection from herbivores. The pigments are, moreover, potent scavengers of free radicals, the reactive atoms and molecules that have the potential to destroy DNA, membranes, and proteins. Red-pigmented plants also hold the potential for the advancement of human health; the consumption of anthocyanin-rich foods is associated with a lower risk of non-infectious diseases, including coronary heart disease, osteoporosis, ischemic stroke, Alzheimers, and certain cancers. These remarkably versatile pigments are evidently natures Swiss army knife.

Plus: Audrey Eagle Botanical Drawing Competition Display and Prize Giving. NOTE SPECIAL VENUE: Castle 1 lecture theatre, Otago University. Keep this date free.

Trees on campus

A guided walk by University of Otago Grounds Officer, Robert Scott, to see the University of Otago Commemorative and Memorial trees. In 1980 the University established a Register as a permanent record of commemorative and memorial features within the campus grounds. The Register was updated in 2001 with an improved page layout, better photographs and more flexibility in adding or altering existing pages. Currently 41 items are listed throughout the campus commemorating staff, students and benefactors of the University. Meet at the Botany Dept car park at 9:00 am.

Leaving the white line: A journey in conserving the rainforests of the Adelbert Mountains, PNG

Talk by Matt Scott. The Adelbert Range in northern Papua New Guinea, boasts a remarkable biodiversity, hosting up to 57 mammalian species and some 336 avian species. Many of these species, like the Fire-Manned Bower bird, are found nowhere else in the world. However, there has been significant pressure from the government to log these virtually pristine forests as part of a large forestry concession. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is using innovative solutions to help protect the landscape and biodiversity of this region. I will discuss the project, the people and my personal experience working in the Adelbert Range. At the Zoology Benham Building, 346 Great King Street, behind the Zoology car park by the Captain Cook Hotel. Use the main entrance of the Benham Building to get in and go to the Benham Seminar Room, Rm. 215, 2nd floor. Please be prompt as we have to hold the door open.