Native plants of sub-alpine areas in Canterbury

Grown from seed collected from the Mackenzie County Council District.

The sub-alpine region is dominated by various species of snow tussock, occupying a range of environmental conditions. The broad-leaved snow tussock (Chionochloa flavescens) and red tussock/hau mata (Chionochloa rubra) prefer wetter sites, where as the narrow-leaved snow tussock/wï kura (Chionochloa rigida) and the slim-leaved snow tussock (Chionochloa macra) prefer drier sites.

Shrub species are also common in the sub-alpine environment and form extensive communities, commonly referred to as a sub-alpine shrub zone. Snow tōtara (Podocarpus nivalis), mountain toatoa (Phyllocladus alpinus), porcupine shrub (Melicytus alpinus), species of turpentine shrubs (Dracophyllum), Hebes/koromiko, and Coprosma/karamū species are common throughout this area.

An important part of the sub-alpine flora is a wide diversity of herbaceous plant species. Common species include the mountain daisies (Celmisia/tikumu), speargrass/taramea (Aciphylla), small tussocks and grasses - such as mountain fescue (Festuca matthewsii) and carpet grass (Chionochloa australis), gentians and mountain buttercups/kawariki (Ranunculus). Mats, or cushion plants, designed to withstand harsh conditions, are also a feature of sub-alpine flora. Vegetable sheep, such as Raoulia exima, are an excellent example of the cushion plant habit.

Two threatened species found growing in the sub-alpine zone in Canterbury are Pittosporum patulum and Hebe cupressoides.

Species name and common name

T = threatened

1. Acaena caesiiglauca
2. Acaena inermis
3. Aciphylla aurea taramea, golden spaniard
4. Aciphylla montana
5. Aciphylla scott-thomsonii
6. Aciphylla subflabellata
7. Aristotelia fruticosa mountain wineberry
8. Brachyglottis bellidioides
9. Brachyglottis bennetii
10. Brachyglottis cassinioides
11. Carmichaelia grandiflora
12. Carmichaelia petriei desert broom
13. Carmichaelia uniflora
14. Celmisia semicordata false spaniard
15. Chionochloa rigida wī kura, narrow leaved snow tussock
16. Chionochloa rubra haumata, red tussock
17. Coprosma atropurpurea
18. Coprosma ciliata
19. Chionochloa conspicua hunangāmoho
20. Chionochloa flavescens broad leaved snow tussock
21. Coprosma propinqua
22. Coprosma ‘Taylorii’
23. Coprosma rugosa
24. Carmichaelia crassicaule
25. Coriaria angustissima
26. Coriaria sarmentosa
27. Corokia cotoneaster korokio
28. Craspedia uniflora woollyhead
29. Discaria toumatu matagouri, tūmatakuru
30. Festuca matthewsii alpine fescue tussock
31. Festuca novae-zelandiae fescue tussock
32. Hebe buchannii
33. Hebe cupressoides
34. Hebe haastii
35. Hebe macrantha
36. Hebe odora
37. Hebe pinguifolia
38. Hebe subalpina
39. Melicytus alpinus porcupine shrub
40. Muehlenbeckia axillaris
41. Olearia cymbifolia shrub daisy
42. Olearia fimbriata
43. Olearia virgata
44. Ozothamus leptophylla tauhinu, golden cottonwood
45. Phyllocladus alpinus mountain toatoa
46. Pimelea prostrata
47. Pittosporum patulum (T)
48. Poa colensoi blue tussock
49. Poa macra
50. Ranunculus lyallii
51. Sophora microphylla kōwhai
52. Sophora prostrata dwarf kōwhai

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Native plants of sub-alpine areas in Canterbury (PDF, 957K)