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Kiaora and Hello again.
Summer's in full swing here in Northland. The weathers hot and settled with campers and visitors making the most of the holiday season. The bush is drying out and the cackle of the cicadas is deafening in the heat of the afternoon. This summer has brought strong flowering in Pohutukawa, flax, cabbage tress and toetoe. It's certainly the best time of the year to appreciate our environment. What makes it really special though, is the family and holiday spirit that gets us out there amongst it with those people who are nearest and dearest to us. Enjoy our special environment, and all the best for the new year of 2006.
Melicope.
There are 2 species of New Zealand Melicope. M. ternata and M. simplex, both of which are very attractive shrubs which should be grown more often in ornamental situations.
Melicope simplex
This is a very attractive ornamental shrub. It possesses an attractive leaf shape and colour and is a truely unique NZ plant, at home in the finest ornamental garden. The form and shape of the plant creates an interesting eye catching image.
The small white flowers and the black glossy seeds are another interesting feature. Dieocious, so only females produce seeds.
The seeds should germinate in a warm (>14 degrees C) seed raising mix after a month.
Melicope ternata Wharangi
A Shrub or small tree reaching 8 m., found in the North Island near the coast. The leaf is 3 foliate. Wharangi is a particularly attractive coastal shrub. Beautiful verdant green colouration and glossy trifoliate leaves make this plant the ideal specimen for a small garden. Black glossy seeds also add to the attractiveness of this small tree. George Grey in 1857 recorded this maori saying or pepeha. " Me he rau wharangi te kanohi". The face is like the leaf of the wharangi referring to the pale green colour of the leaf indicating the appearance of one who has been shamed.
Toetoe in flower.
The New Zealand Toetoe belong to the genus Cortaderia and Chionochloa. In Northland the toetoe is Cortaderia fulvida and it is flowering profusely this summer. Toetoe are truely distinctive New Zealand plants. When Mark Twain visited New Zealand in 1900, he commented upon these large flowerheads by refering to toetoe as "the scalp plant" as it produced hair. An odd thing to say but the photo goes some way to explain this observation.
The unwanted weedy pampas is sometimes mistaken for the native toetoe.You can tell the difference by :
Toetoe flowers in spring-summer and has flower heads that droop.
Pampas flowers in autumn and has more upright flower heads and is a more vigorous and larger
plant.
Redesigned website.
I have changed the page structure of bushmansfriend to place the navigation bar at the top of the page, rather than at the side. This should lead to easier navigation of the site and allows more information to be displayed on each page. Bushmansfriend home page
Affiliate links.
Sometimes I am asked to recommend a book or product on New Zealand plants. I have added to the website the best affiliate programs that specialise in New Zealand products celebrating New Zealand plants or natural history. I personally recommend all these products.
Plus all the usual great content....
Native plant seeds for sale and germination strategies.60 species. Growing native plants from seed is fun, value for money, rewarding and helps the environment.
Species information, :Advice and hints on identification and cultivation of 80 common genera or species.
Photo galleries of New Zealand native plants fruits, bark, wood, flowers. Appreciate the intrinsic beauty of NZ's flora.
Newsletter Archive. Have you missed previous panui?.
Surfers friend. Absolutely nothing to do with plants.
Links to other web sites with information about New Zealand plants
Wairakau stream guided bush walk and boat trip Experience Whangaroa's natural heritage, Botany, Geology and History along with its marine environment.
Contact : Tony Foster 73 Campbell Rd. Totara North RD2 Kaeo
Northland New Zealand
Phone: 09 4051844
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