The Auckland Botanical Society holds regular meetings and field trips throughout the year. Meetings are usually held on the first Wednesday of the month at 7:30 pm, and field trips on the third Saturday of the month, starting at 10 am.
Meeting Venue: Unitec, School of Natural Sciences, 139 Carrington Road, Mount Albert, Auckland-Gate 4, Building 115, Room 2005 , Level 2
(Annual Lucy Cranwell lecture is held at the Auckland Museum)
Evening Meeting: Wednesday 5th November
7:30pm Unitec
Talk: Dr Yumiko Baba
A guide to the genus Elaeocarpus
Elaeocarpus is one of nine genera in the family
Elaeocarpaceae, and the most speciose,
comprising c. 350 species worldwide. High
regional endemism of species across the genera
is a common phenomenon for the family
generally, with the genus Elaeocarpus following
this trend. To understand the diverse morphology
that exists within the genus and robustly and
accurately assess species boundaries, a series of
infra-generic classifications were proposed, but
consensus on these has not yet been met, and
testing the infra-generic classification systems
with molecular phylogenetic reconstruction is
ongoing.
In this talk, I will introduce the current classification
hypothesis for the genus and highlight research that I
have conducted in Fiji in recent years
Field trip: Motuihe, Saturday 15th November
Leader: Ewen Cameron
Leader: Ewen Cameron, ph 09-6302258
Meeting time: 10 am
Meeting place: by the chapel (Chapel of the Faith in the
Oaks) in the SE corner of Waikumete Cemetery by
Glenview and Waikumete Roads. Car access is via the
entrance on Great North Road, then drive past the
Crematorium, first left down Acmena Ave and continue
right up to the top of the hill (passing the brick toilets on
the left), at the T intersection turn left along Eucalyptus
Ave, then left again at the next T intersection, the chapel is
100 m on your right. Be aware there are other ways/roads
of reaching the chapel – just keep heading for the SE if you
take a wrong turn (good map is the Auckland
Council’s GeoMaps that includes the road names:
https://geomapspublic.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/view
er/index.html). Note – there is no car access via the
Glen Eden gate near the chapel, but it’s a good way
to come if you catch the train to the Glen Eden
Station.
Field requirements: bring lunch, drink and suitable clothing for cold and hot weather. Good footwear essential. The ground is uneven, and slippery when wet (there are no tracks in some of the areas). The rows between the graves are mown (on a high setting) and uneven. Waikumete Cemetery at 108 ha, is New Zealand's largest cemetery, it is owned and operated by Auckland Council. However, room to bury people here is rapidly running out and the new land that the Council was negotiating to buy for a new cemetery at Reweti has fallen through. The future of Waikumete cemetery has to be as an outstanding public Memorial Park with high ecological values. Although we visited the same cemetery in October last year (see the trip report in the last ABS Journal 80: 5-15, 2025), this field trip, running a month later, should see some different wild flowers. Also visit some different areas, including: a native forested gully, with a Halocarpus kirkii c.10 m tall, 17.3 cm dbh (Nov 24) with adult and juvenile foliage; and another venture into the stunning gumland mānuka vegetation containing native orchids, grasses, sedges, ferns, native herbs on the poor clay soil