Banks Peninsula lowland and mountain

Almost all of Banks Peninsula was once covered in native forest. Exceptions were very steep, exposed sites, and areas too swampy to support trees.

This forest, the result of many millions of years of land formation and evolution, had the same or similar plants species 20,000 years ago as we find today in the remaining reserves and vegetation remnants. However, at least 15 species have been lost.

Most of this forest was felled or burned during the first 50 years of European occupation.

Today the remnants of this ancient forest reflect their stage of regeneration and site characteristics such as altitude, aspect, soil type and proximity to the coast: podocarps occur on fertile valley floors, podocarp/hardwood forest on lower slopes, mountain tōtara grows above 500 metres, coastal forest (including the warmth-demanding species like ngaio and nīkau palm) and open tussockland occur on drier, north-facing slopes.

Source: Native plants natural to Banks Peninsula : DOC, iNaturalist and Hugh D Wilson  "Plant Life on Banks  Peninsula"

See more detailed plant listing for Banks Peninsula

Trees/Shrubs/Creepers/Climbers Grasses/Flaxes
 Acaena anserinifolia (RO)  Aciphylla aurea (RO) taramea, golden Spaniard
 Acaena caesiglauca (RO)  Aciphylla subflabellata, kuri kuri, spear grass
 Acaena novae-zealandiae  Anemanthele lessoniana, wind grass
 Alectryon excelsus  Arthropodium candidum (RO)
 Anisotome aromatica (RO), pinakitere  Astelia fragrans (M), kakaha, bush lily
 Aristotelia fruticosa (RO), mountain wineberry  Astelia grandis
 Aristotelia serrata, makomako, wineberry  Austroderia richardii, toetoe
 Brachyglottis bellidioides  Carex buchananii
 Brachyglottis lagopus  Carex geminata
 Brachyglottis sciadophila, climbing groundsel  Carex secta
 Carmichaelia australis  Carex testacea
 Carmichaelia kirkii, maukoro, scrambling broom (T)  Carex virgata
 Carpodetus serratus, putaputāwētā, marble leaf  Celmisia gracilenta (RO)
 Clematis afoliata   Celmisia mackaui (RO/E), Akaroa daisy
 Clematis foetida   Chionochloa conspicua (M) hunangāmoho
 Clematis marata   Chionochloa rigida (M)
 Clematis paniculata  Dichelachne crinitus
 Coprosma acerosa (RO)  Festuca actae (E), Banks Peninsula blue tussock
 Coprosma areolata  Festuca novae-zelandiae, wī, fescue tussock
 Coprosma crassifolia  Libertia ixioides, mikoikoi, NZ iris
 Coprosma dumosa  Phormium cookianum, wharariki, mountain flax
 Coprosma linariifolia, yellow wood  Phormium tenax, harakeke, New Zealand flax
 Coprosma lucida  Poa cita, wï, silver tussock
 Coprosma propinqua, mingmingi  Poa colensoi
 Coprosma rhamnoides  Poa imbecilla
 Coprosma rigida  
 Coprosma robusta, karamü  
 Coprosma rotundifolia, round-leaved coprosma  
 Coprosma rubra  
 Coprosma virescens  
 Coprosma wallii (M/T)   
 Cordyline australis, cabbage tree  
 Cordyline indivisa (M/R), tī tōī, broad-leaved cabbage tree  
 Coriaria arborea  
 Corokia cotoneaster, korokio  
 Dacrycarpus dacrydioides, kahikatea, white pine  
 Dacrydium cupressinum, rimu  
 Dicondra repens  
 Discaria toumatou, tūmatakuru, matagouri  
 Dodonaea viscosa, akeake  
 Dracophyllum acerosum (M)  
 Elaeocarpus hookerianus, pōkākā  
 Fuchsia excorticata, kotukutuku, fuchsia  
 Fuscospora fusca (M), tawhairaunui, red beech  
 Fuscospora solandri (M), tawhairauriki, black beech  
 Gaultheria antipoda (M)  
 Gaultheria crassa  
 Gaultheria depressa var. novae-zealandiae (M)  
 Geranium brevicaule  
 Griselinia littoralis, päpäuma, broadleaf  
 Haloragis erecta  
 Hedycarya arborea  
 Hoheria angustifolia, houhi puruhi, narrow-leaved lacebark  
 Kunzea ericoides, känuka  
 Leptecophylla juniperina  
 Leptinella dioica  
 Leptinella squalida  
 Leptospermum scoparium, mänuka, tea tree  
 Leucopogon fasciculatus  
 Lobelia angulata, pratia (RO)  
 Lophomyrtus obcordata, rōhutu, NZ myrtle  
 Melicope simplex  
 Melicytus alpinus, porcupine shrub  
 Melicytus micranthus  
 Melicytus ramiflorus, māhoe, whiteywood  
 Metrosideros diffusa (RO)  
 Muehlenbeckia astonii  
 Muehlenbeckia axillaris  
 Muehlenbeckia complexa  
 Myoporum laetum, ngaio  
 Myosotis australis var. “lytteltonensis” (RO/T/E)  
 Myrsine australis, red matipou  
 Myrsine divaricata, weeping matipou  
 Myrsine nummularia (RO)  
 Olearia arborescens (RO), common tree-daisy  
 Olearia avicenniifolia (RO), akeake  
 Olearia bullata  
 Olearia fragrantissima (T), akeake  
 Olearia ilicifolia (M), hakeke, mountain holly  
 Olearia nummulariifolia (RO), akeake, shrub daisy  
 Olearia paniculata, akiraho, golden akeake  
 Ozothamnus leptophyllus  
 Parahebe lyallii (RO)  
 Parsonsia capsularis  
 Parsonsia heterophylla  
 Pennantia corymbosa  
 Piper excelsum, kawakawa, pepper tree  
 Pittosporum eugenioides, tarata, lemonwood  
 Pittosporum obcordatum  
 Pittosporum tenuifolium, köhühu, black matipo  
 Plagianthus divaricatus  
 Plagianthus regius, mänatu, ribbonwood  
 Podocarpus hallii (M), mountain tōtara  
 Podocarpus totara, tötara  
 Potentilla anserinoides  
 Prumnopitys ferruginea, miro  
 Prumnopitys taxifolia, matai  
 Pseudopanax arboreus, whauwhaupaku, five finger  
 Pseudopanax colensoi (M), orihou, mountain five finger  
 Pseudopanax crassifolius, horoeka, lancewood  
 Pseudopanax ferox, fierce lancewood  
 Pseudowintera colorata, horopito, pepper tree  
 Raukaua anomalus, whauwhaupaku  
 Raukawa edgerleyi  
 Rhopalostylis sapida, nikau palm  
 Scleranthus biflorus  
 Scleranthus uniflorus (RO)  
 Schefflera digitata, patate  
 Sophora microphylla, köwhai  
 Sophora prostrata, dwarf köwhai  
 Streblus heterophyllus, small-leaved milk tree  
 Teucridium parvifolium (T)  
 Veronica lavaudiana  
 Veronica odora (RO), korokio, boxwood  
 Veronica salicifolia, koromiko  
 Veronica strictissima (E), koromiko  

PLANT NAME (T = threatened, R = rare, E = endemic to Banks Penisula, M = Banks Peninsula montane, RO = Banks Peninsula rock outcrops)