This month’s pest plant is Woolly Nightshade, also known as tobacco plant or flannel plant because its leaves have a velvety texture . It has dense clusters of purple flowers, green or yellow berries about 1cm in size and oval, grey-green leaves. It is a major problem because its seeds are spread by birds, it colonises readily and it…
This month’s pest plant is boneseed, also known as salt bush. Originally brought in as an ornamental from South Africa, it proved to be a pest (surprise!) because it readily colonises dry areas and soon prevents anything else from growing. This poses a threat to our coastal vegetation. Young plants have soft pale green leaves,…
In a recent visit members of the Auckland Botanical Society identified a native orchid growing in the Park. Corunastylis pumila is a tiny orchid which is described as being naturally uncommon and easily overlooked because of its small size and autumn flowering.It is most often recorded from Northern North Island south to about Kawhia, East…
Shakespear Sanctuary is fortunate in having at least two mature patches of bush in Waterfall Gully and Kowhai Glen. However the intention has always been to increase the natural vegetation areas by planting more trees and shrubs. Apart from the initial amenity planting carried out in the 1970’s before the opening of the park, planting…
SOSSI and Tuesday volunteers have completed a major upgrade of the Sossi nursery, with financial support from Auckland Council and Pub Charity. This has created a more efficient production unit for pricking out and bagging on new young seedlings as they arrive from the Botanic Gardens who are doing the seed propagation work for us….
