Canterbury plains

The history of the native vegetation of the Canterbury Plains is one of succession, destruction and regeneration. For many millions of years prior to European settlement the patterns of native vegetation were defined by the shifting rivers and creeks, floods, shingle build-up, alluvial deposits, soil damage and fire from both natural and human ignitions.

Planting species represented here will eventually provide a link between the native remnants of the Canterbury Plains, (kānuka forests of Eyrewell and Bankside reserves), the foothills (beech forest of the Oxford-Ashley area) and the tall podocarp/hardwood forests of Riccarton Bush in Christchurch and Port Hills reserves.

 

 

 

Source: Native plants natural to the Canterbury plains : DOC.

See more detailed plant listing for Low Plains

Trees/Shrubs/Creepers/Climbers Grasses/Flaxes 
 Brachyglottis monroi  Aciphylla subflabellata kuri kuri, spear grass
 Carmichaelia australis  Anemanthele lessoniana (R), wind grass
 Carmichaelia kirkii (T)  Austroderia richardii, toetoe
 Clematis marata   Brachyscome pinnata (T)
 Coprosma areolata  Carex buchananii, matirewa, cutty grass
 Coprosma crassifolia  Carex comans, tussock grass
 Coprosma intertexta (R)   Carex flagellifera, mänia, tussock grass
 Coprosma lucida, shining karamu  Festuca novae-zelandiae, fescue grass
 Coprosma obconica (R/T)   Phormium cookianum, wharariki
 Coprosma sp. 'Taylorii’   Phormium tenax, harakeke, New Zealand flax
 Coprosma propinqua, mingmingi  Poa cita, wï, silver tussock
 Coprosma rhamnoides  
 Coprosma robusta, karamü  
 Coprosma rotundifolia, round-leaved coprosma  
 Coprosma rugosa  
 Coprosma pedicellata (R/T)  
 Coprosma virescens  
 Cordyline australis, cabbage tree  
 Corokia cotoneaster, korokio  
 Discaria toumatou  
 Elaeocarpus hookerianus pökäkä  
 Griselinia littoralis, päpäuma, broadleaf  
 Hoheria angustifloia  
 Hypericum gramineum, rolled-leaf hypericum   
 Kunzea ericoides, känuka  
 Leptinella filiformis (T)  
 Leptinella squalida  
 Leptospermum scoparium, mänuka, tea tree  
 Lophomyrtus obcordata röhutu, NZ myrtle  
 Melicytus alpinus, porcupine shrub  
 Melicytus crassifolius  
 Muehlenbeckia astonii (T), shrubby tororaro  
 Muehlenbeckia axillaris  
 Myrsine australis, red matipou  
 Myrsine divaricata, weeping matipou  
 Olearia adenocarpa (T), scented tree-daisy  
 Ozothamnus leptophyllus, golden cottonwood  
 Pittosporum eugenioides, tarata, lemonwood  
 Pittosporum tenuifolium, köhühu, black matipo  
 Plagianthus regius, mänatu, ribbonwood  
 Podocarpus totara, tötara  
 Pomaderris phylicifolia var. ericifolia (T), tauhinu  
 Prumnopitys taxifolia mataï, black pine  
 Raukaua anomalus whauwhaupaku  
 Sophora microphylla, köwhai  
 Sophora prostrata, dwarf köwhai  
 Teucridium parvifolium (T)  

PLANT NAME (T = threatened, R = rare)