Past Events

Mycorrhizal fungi - ubiquitous underground partners of plants

A talk by Prof. John Cairney, from the University of Western Sydney. Prof. Cairney is an expert on the population ecology and ecophysiology of mycorrhizas and mycorrhizal fungi. He is visiting Dunedin during February 2004 as a William Evans Visiting Fellow. The majority of terrestrial plants exist naturally in symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi, a form of mutualistic interaction that is thought not only to be important in enhancing the ecological fitness of individual plants, but also in shaping plant populations and communities. This talk will provide an introduction to these fascinating associations, with emphasis on the ecology of the fungi that form mycorrhizas with trees and epacrids. At the NEW 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.

Tokomairiro Mouth with Janice Lord

Grade easy - suitable for all ages. First stop will be the Lower Tokomariro Wetland. This QEII covenanted area is managed by Fish and Game for waterfowl. No formal assessment of the vegetation exists and Fish and Game are very keen for any information we can provide. Fernbirds are often sighted here. The main area to be visited is the dune complex to the south of Toko Mouth settlement which supports probably the largest pingao population in Otago and numerous other native species in dune slacks. Hot water etc is available at Janice's crib. Bring lunch and suitable beach, sun and rain gear. A hand lens is recommended. Return to Dunedin, approx. 5-6 pm. Field trip leaves from Botany car park 464 Great King Street. Meet there to car pool (10c/km/passenger, to be paid to the driver, please).

Wellington Botanical Society New Year's Field trip: West Coast and Murchison

This is the Wellington Botanical Society Summer Field trip. Several BSO members are going. 31 Dec - 6 Jan: Kokiri Lodge, 8 km east of Stillwater, near Greymouth. 6 Jan - 11 Jan: Mataki Lodge, Tutaki Valley, 33 km east of Murchison. Botanise West Coast forests, Nelson Lakes National Park, and Lake Matiri/Thousand Acres Plateau. If you would like to be the organiser of food supplies, we can provide you with ideas for menus and quantities. Please contact Barbara Clark ph 04 233 8202/fax 04 233 2222, or Chris Horne ph/fax 04 475 7025. A registration form is available from the BSO notice board in the Department of Botany. More details will be available in the December BSO newsletter.

Mt Watkin podocarp forest

Trip leader: Ralf Ohlemüller. After recent trips to the area of Mt. Watkin north of Dunedin and the discovery of its significance for a number of rare species (see BSO newsletter 38), we will now have a closer look at the forests near the 'bottom' of this remarkable volcano. These sheltered forests in the gullies running off Mt Watkin harbour a wide range of mature specimens of podocarp, such as matai, rimu, totara and kahikatea - rare remnants of the magnificent lowland forest that once clothed much of eastern Otago. Ralf has studied species richness patterns in forest fragments in coastal Otago and also tried to reconstruct the potential natural forest vegetation of the area. He will talk about his work on the day. We will be walking off track, so bring solid shoes, outdoor equipment, rain gear and lunch. A hand lens is recommended. Return to Dunedin, approx. 5-6 pm. Meet 9 am, Botany car park 464 Great King Street to car pool (10c/km/passenger).

Flora and Vegetation Zones of Washington State, US

A talk by Dr Fayla Schwartz. Fayla will discuss the geological and geographical bases for vegetation distribution in the area and then show slides and talk about a number of plant species in western Washington/Puget Sound area, the montane and subalpine areas on Mt. Rainier, and in eastern Washington. Fayla is a biology and botany instructor at Everett Community College in Washington, and has a PhD in Botany from the University of Washington. At the NEW 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.

Living off the land (sort of) in Mongolia 2001-2002

A talk by Monica Peters. Images of Mongolia - a land in transition. At the NEW 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.

Nugget Point and Cannibal Bay, Catlins

Led by John Barkla, DOC Otago. A full day trip, first to Nugget Point and then to nearby Cannibal Bay. Nugget Point is the premier wildlife viewing site in the Catlins but also has fantastic vegetation. Windshorn shrubby vegetation contains a large population of Olearia fragrantissima and herbfields have the megaherb Anisotome lyallii and the Catlins endemic Celmisia lindsayi. Just south of Cannibal Bay are ephemerally wet dune slacks with large populations of the threatened herbs Mazus arenarius and Libertia peregrinans and the small shrub Pimelea lyallii. NZ sealions are regularly encountered here. Trip departs from Botany Department car park. Carpool rates 10c/km/passenger payable to driver. Return mid-late afternoon. Bring lunch and drinks and warm, wind-proof clothing. Following the trip John and family are planning to spend Saturday night at the lighthouse keepers house at Nugget Point. Others are most welcome. Mattressess and cooking facilities are available but you'll need a sleeping bag and food etc.

2nd Annual Geoff Baylis Lecture. Distinguished Guest speaker Dr Peter Wardle

New Zealand's forest limits and the vegetation above them, compared with South America and other regions.

Species introductions and climatic comparisons show that hardy trees from the northern hemisphere can grow well above the altitudinal limit of native forest in New Zealand. Instead of the subalpine conifer forests of the northern hemisphere we have a belt of tall tussocks, shrubs and large forbs, occupying an environment very similar to that occupied by deciduous beeches in the southern Andes. While this tall-tussock belt is essentially unique to New Zealand and its subantarctic islands, it does share features with vegetation on tropical high mountains. As well as large tussock grasses, these features include temperature climates with muted seasonal variations, and large-leaved rosette plants, some of the tropical examples being arborescent. On the tropical high mountains, this vegetation zone also contains low forest which has been reduced by fire, and as in New Zealand it is receptive to introduced tall-tree species. The term tropicalpine has been used because this vegetation does not fit the altitudinal zonation that has been derived for north temperate mountains; to recognise the similarly special nature of New Zealand vegetation lying between the upper forest limit and typical alpine vegetation, I have proposed the term penalpine.

Peter Wardle is one of New Zealand's foremost plant ecologists with an unrivalled knowledge of how New Zealand's vegetation, environment and ecological processes compare with the rest of the world. His highly regarded book, Vegetation of New Zealand, covers succession, invasion, disturbance, regeneration and many other complex processes. The book is dedicated to Professor Geoff Baylis, whose contribution to botany is honoured in this lecture series.

Seminar room 2.25 Commerce Building, cnr Union St East and Clyde St. Meet in the atrium for nibbles and drinks (gold coin donation). You are invited to join Peter for dinner after. Please email Trish Flemming if you would like to attend the dinner at Indian Summer, Upper Moray Place.

Donaldson's Garden and Moore's Bush

Over the last 40 years Cliff and Linda Donaldson have created a treasure trove of unusual plants. They have nurtured natives from all over New Zealand, including a multi-trunked Kauri that the pigeons fight over, Dysoxylum spectabile (Kohekohe) and several rare species, such as the Marlborough weeping broom, Carmichaelia stevensonii, and Elingamita johnsonii which was discovered by Geoff Baylis on the Three Kings Islands. There's also quite a fern collection, including some which Cliff is keen to have identified. So please bring your hand lens and fern guides. Colourful exotics include collections of Camelia, Rhododendron, Prunus, Magnolia and Fuchsia species, so spring blooms will abound. Weather and time permitting, we will then travel up Leith Valley to Moore's Bush, site of a local Forest & Bird restoration project. Here there are a variety of local and introduced lowland podocarp and broadleaf forest species. Meet at the Donaldson's place, 21 Glenmore St, Glenleith at 1.30pm, or at 1.15 in the Botany Department car park, 464 Gt King St, to car pool, which is a good idea, as parking will be limited.

Warrington and Seacliff

Carol and Chuck Landis live at the old James Powell Convalescent Home in Warrington. Their large garden contains ornamental trees and an extensive variety of shrubs. Many rhododendron, including several original species, will be in bloom and a range of unusual Magnoliidae is also present. An adjoining area of "bush" contains a range of New Zealand trees, shrubs and ferns. The central part, containing about 95 species of East Otago provenance, is surrounded by a belt comprising natives including many sourced from outside the local area. Highlights include Pennantia baylisiana, Alseuosmia spp, and three Ixerba brexioides. The possible effects of companion plants on Ixerba growth are very interesting. The Enchanted Forest at the nearby Seacliff Reserve will also be visited. It contains a variety beautiful mature trees (native and exotic) on the grounds of the old Seacliff psychiatric hospital. Many were planted by Sir Truby King 100 years ago. A new list of significant trees on the reserve will be provided. Trip departs from the Botany Dept carpark at 10:00 (alternatively meet at Chuck and Carol's at 10:30). Return mid- afternoon. Bring lunch; hot water will be supplied. In case of inclement weather we'll try Sunday 28, same times.

An introduction to New Zealand gecko and plant associations

Guest speaker Mandy Tocher.

Highlights of a High Country Summer - from the Lakes to the Landsborough

Guest speaker John Barkla (DOC Otago) will give an illustrated talk on some of his botanical survey highlights from last summer. Come and hear about hidden delights in the Richardson Mountains and the search for elusive Pittosporum patulum in the jungle of the upper Landsborough. At the NEW 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. NOTE CHANGE OF VENUE.

Orokonui Reserve

Led by Ralph Allen, Wildland Consultants. Orokonui is the proposed site of a 'Mainland Island'. Ralph will talk about the sanctuary concept and give some indications of where things would be and how it would function. There will also be a chance to see the tallest tree in New Zealand. Meet Botany Dept car park, 464 Gt King St, 10 am to car pool (10c/km/passenger), or at Orokonui 10.30 am. Bring lunch. Rain date Sun 10 August.

Lichens on Twigs Workshop

with Jennifer Bannister and Allison Knight. Leaves are falling and wind is blowing, exposing and dropping twigs. Lichens growing on the newly exposed bark of twigs are good environmental monitors. We thought it would be interesting to get an indication of what is growing on twigs in our area, and then talk about the possibility of a distribution map. Start collecting interesting twigs you come across now. Please note where you found them and what tree or shrub they are from. Air-dry them and store them in a dry place (or in the freezer if you want to slow browsing by invertebrates). Bring: lichens on twigs, hand lens and lunch. Microscopes and laboratory space are generously made available by the Department of Botany, tea and coffee will be supplied by the BSO. Related reading: Try the British website on lichens on twigs for interactive keys and some useful basic information. For common NZ species, see: Lichens on Trees: Identification Guide to Common Lichens and Plants on Urban and Rural Trees in New Zealand, by P. N. Johnson and D. J. Galloway, Landcare Research, Dunedin 1999

Solander, the botanist who came with Banks and Cook to NZ.

A talk by Ted Nye. Solander (1733-1782) was a pupil of Carl Linnaeus. He went to Britain to spread the doctrine of his master on classification of living things. He worked at the British Museum and soon came to the attention of Joseph Banks and, a few years later, was recruited by Banks to be one of the Scientific team on the Endeavour under Captain Cook. Thus Solander was the first professional botanist to visit New Zealand, in 1769. From this it follows that, with the looming 300th anniversary of the birth of Linnaeus in 2007, Dunedin should be the first city in New Zealand to honour Solander by setting up a garden in his memory. At the NEW 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. NOTE CHANGE OF VENUE.