Plant identification and info

iNaturalist

INaturalist offers both a phone and browser app. The phone app allows you to take a photo then refer it for suggested identification.

INaturalist also allows expert to check photos submitted by citizen scientists and to confirm the identification (if the photo is good enough).

Nature Space

Nature Space is a site that was being developed by Auckland Council in conjunction with other organisations: http://naturespace.org.nz/

It is intended to provide a resource kit for bush restoration and to assist in monitoring the health of our native flora.

It is arguably as at 2018 the best place to find what volunteer groups exist.

Botannical Society

The Auckland Botannical Society has visited Le Roys Bush a number of time over the years.

Their 2002 visit is covered in this report.

NZ Plant Conservation Network

For help in identifying native plants and other weeds, we recommend the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network web site which provides a comprehensive list to help identify native plants and invasive weeds.

- To support a good project, you may like to subscribe to the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network
- They also have a mobile app for smartphones: http://m.nzpcn.org.nz/

Landcare Research

There is a very structured search tool at www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biosystematics/plants/weedskey/

which allows you to search by characteristics (many of them are rather specialist for the average lay person) and then links to the Landcare Research Databases of plants at nzflora.landcareresearch.co.nz/ or http://www.nzflora.info/

Links about plant identification and management

For more information on plant identification and weed control, see our page What's Good. What's Not. (one day we'll need to integrate these sites!)

A summary list of sites about plants found in NZ - good ones and invasive:

nzpcn.org.nz/page.aspx?threats_naturalised_plants - very comprehensive coverage of good plants and weeds

And the mobile site m.nzpcn.org.nz

nzflora.landcareresearch.co.nz/ which links to the weed key of about 518 weeds:

http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/resources/identification/plants/weeds-key

pestweb.co.nz/identify/ -- not many plants an interesting collation of info about the plants - eg http://pestweb.co.nz/?pesttypes=ragwort

www.nzflora.info/search.html Participating institutions are Landcare Research, Te Papa, and NIWA of course for marine plants

www.teara.govt.nz/en/the-bush - the encyclopaedia of NZ section on bush

And about weeds specifically:

www.weedbusters.org.nz/weed_info/advanced.asp - gives details of how to control weeds with or without agrichemicals

They also have a facebook page https://www.facebook.com/weedbustersnz

There is also the NZ Pest Plant Accord - which is of limited use - mainly intended for commercial companies - but unfortunately once a weed is no longer likely to be sold, they remove it from the list.

And there is a Global Invasive Species Database eg for Acanthus mollis at

http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=1663&lang=EN and

http://www.issg.org/database/species/management_info.asp?si=1663&fr=1&sts=&lang=EN

And there's also the local government sites such as:

www.arc.govt.nz/environment/biosecurity/search-for-plants/regional-plants_home.cfm - the old ARC site under the Auckland Council logo

www.nrc.govt.nz/Environment/Weed-and-pest-control/Pest-plants/ - the Northland Regional Council site for comparison

Some commercial sites are helpful; eg Oratia Native Plant Nursery website and www.nznativeplants.co.nz/

Also please see the LRB "poster" document attached below for a list of plants (natives and weeds) found in and around the Le Roys Bush wetlands.

This poster was adapted to provide information for the BNZ volunteers in September 2013.

PEST PLANTS:

BOOKS ON WEEDS:

- Esler, Alan (2004) Wild Plants in Auckland [An interesting mix of native and exotic plants - although line drawings not as useful for amateur plant recognition as photos]
- Roy, Bruce, Ian Popay, Paul Champion, Trevor Janes, Anis Rahman (2004) An Illustrated Guide to Common Weeds of NZ (Second Edition - published by NZ Plant Protection Society) [Good for identifying plants - but not a lot of useful info on when they seed and need to be controlled; includes some native plants as weeds - eg useful colonisers such as manuka, kanuka etc - so check carefully if the plant is listed as native before clearing it from bush restoration sites]
- Upritchard, E A [Compiler] (1985) A guide to the Identification of NZ Common Weeds in Colour (published by NZ Weed and Pest Control Society)

WEBSITES FOR WEEDS:

- Weedbusters ( http://weedbusters.co.nz/ )
- ARC plant identification guide http://www.arc.govt.nz/environment/biosecurity/search-for-plants/regional-plants_home.cfm

( http://www.arc.govt.nz/environment/plants-and-animals/search-for-plants/regional-plants_home.cfm )
- NZ Plant Conservation - Search for Naturalised Plants (http://www.nzpcn.org.nz/exotic_plant_life_and_weeds/advanced_search.asp )
- Massey University - List of Weeds ( http://weeds.massey.ac.nz/default.asp )
- Biosecurity Institute http://biosecurity.org.nz/useful-links/useful-links/
- This site is US based but aims to help amateurs learn plant identification skills: http://identifythatplant.com/

NATIVE PLANTS:

WEBSITES FOR NATIVES:

And here is a new site - added October 2009 to this web page - with some great macro photos of ferns etc:

BOOKS ON NATIVE TREES:

- Salmon, John T (1986) A Field Guide to the Native Trees of NZ [more comprehensive than some field guides - organised by species - to not easy to use as a recognition guide]
- Dawson, John and Rob Lucas (2000) Nature Guide to the NZ Forest [useful plant shape guide at start of book]
- Dawson, John and Rob Lucas (2011) New Zealand's Native Trees (576 pages published by Craig Potton)
- Metcalf, Lawrie ( ) The Cultivation of NZ Plants [good photos of carex and other smaller plants - organised by species - not easy to use as a recognition guide]

BOOKS ON NATIVE GRASSES:

- Chris McKain (c2004.) Carex in Auckland : a field guide [Waitakere City Council, Waitakere, N.Z.]
- Lawrie Metcalf (2008) The Cultivation of New Zealand Native Grasses [2nd ed, Paperback, 120 pages, first published 1998]

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