Botanist Newsletter

Issue No. 12, September to October 1997

Botanical site assessment of Ecological Heritage Sites 23.03 (Upper Bowenvale Valley) and 23.01 (Hidden Valley), as part of monitoring of sites within the City Plan, as required by the Resource Management Act. Plant species are being recorded and digital photographs taken for future reference.

Identified plants for several Ecological Heritage Sites and added several specimens to the herbarium for future reference.

The report for the Water Services Unit on "Changes in Riparian Vegetation along the Lower Heathcote River following implementation of the Woolston Barrage" was completed.

Provided training to staff regarding which species should be left in the Styx River, adjacent to Styx Mill Reserve, to optimise the species mixture present while keeping water levels down.

The herbarium sheets from Tuam St have now been integrated into the herbarium at the Botanic Gardens and they are referenced in the Natural Areas Database. The sheets form a useful aid to plant identification.

Showed some staff at the gardens some of the botanical resources that are available on the internet. These include detailed information and pictures that assist in species identification. There are also sites with taxonomic information, which greatly reduces the time it takes to check plant names.

A new wetland has been found at Bromley by Colin Meurk. The Natural Areas database has been updated with the appropriate details. A standard field sheet was drafted that we can both use for recording botanical site information.

Modified the Natural Areas database to enable it to store information on related publications. The publications can be linked to particular sites.

Compiled a map for one of our landscape architects so that she has the information on natural area sites available while investigating possible links between sites.