|  The relationships between RBG Kew and plants from New Zealand are important and numerous. While preparing for this collecting trip, it became obvious how many of the indigenous plants were named by Hooker in honour to their collectors, and also that many of the plants were exchanged between RBG Kew and newly founded Botanical Gardens in New Zealand (Dunedin Botanical Garden). Unfortunately, many of the plants subsequently introduced to New Zealand achieved marked success (Gorse: Ulex europaeus is now threatening the native remaining vegetation) while the new and interesting plants sent to the UK did not thrive very well at that time. Therefore it was decided to boost the RBG Kew’s collections in order to showcase rare and interesting species from New Zealand, making information on this fascinating and endangered flora more accessible and better known worldwide.
If we had to decide on a distinct and striking feature of the New Zealand plants, it will certainly be the diversity of life forms. Amongst the most striking convergent forms are the juvenile forms, divaricating shrubs and cushion-forming plants. As an example, the cushions plants presented below show the convergence in 15 different families.
Shown : Caryophyllaceae, Apiaceae, Scrophularicaeae and
Stylidiaceae (not shown, but also cushion forming-: Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Juncaceae, Asteraceae,
Boraginaceae, Rubiaceae, Epacridaceae, Loganiaceae, Thymeleaceae,
Portulacaceae). |
|
|
Home page
collections map browser
List of collections
Itinerary
Type specimen and collectors browser
collecting team and links
New Zealand Living collection
|
