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Sophora Prostrata
''Sophora prostrata'' is commonly known as kōwhai, prostrate kōwhai or dwarf kōwhai and is endemic to the eastern South Island from Marlborough to the Waitaki Valley in New Zealand although most commonly found on the Banks Peninsula. It is a low growing shrub, reaching a height of around 2 metres. This species has a divaricating habit that lasts for the life of the shrub unlike other New Zealand ''Sophora'' species which lose the divaricating habit as adult trees. The leaves of this species are usually quite small, up to about 2 cm in length. Flowers are often orange though they do occur as yellow in common with most other kōwhai Kōwhai ( or ) are small woody legume trees within the genus '' Sophora'', in the family Fabaceae, that are native to New Zealand. There are eight species, with '' Sophora microphylla'' and '' Sophora tetraptera'' being large trees. Their natu ... species. The seeds are black or very dark brown and may appear dark red. This contrasts ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endemism
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is found exclusively in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be ''endemic'' to that particular part of the world. An endemic species can also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or, in scientific literature, as an ''endemite''. Similarly, many species found in the Western ghats of India are examples of endemism. Endemism is an important concept in conservation biology for measuring biodiversity in a particular place and evaluating the risk of extinction for species. Endemism is also of interest in evolutionary biology, because it provides clues about how changes in the environment cause species to undergo range shifts (potentially expanding their range into a larger area or b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South Island
The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south by the Foveaux Strait and Southern Ocean, and to the east by the Pacific Ocean. The South Island covers , making it the List of islands by area, world's 12th-largest island, constituting 56% of New Zealand's land area. At low altitudes, it has an oceanic climate. The most populous cities are Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson, New Zealand, Nelson and Invercargill. Prior to European settlement, Te Waipounamu was sparsely populated by three major iwi – Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, and the historical Waitaha (South Island iwi), Waitaha – with major settlements including in Kaiapoi Pā near modern-day Christchurch. During the Musket Wars expanding iwi colonised Te Tau Ihu Māori, Te Tau Ihu, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marlborough Region
Marlborough District or the Marlborough Region (, or ''Tauihu''), commonly known simply as Marlborough, is one of the 16 regions of New Zealand, located on the northeast of the South Island. It is administered by Marlborough District Council, a unitary authority, performing the functions of both a territorial authority and a regional council. The council is based at Blenheim, the largest town. The unitary region has a population of . Marlborough is known for its dry climate, the Marlborough Sounds, and Sauvignon blanc wine. It takes its name from the earlier Marlborough Province, which was named after John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, an English general and statesman. Geography Marlborough's geography can be roughly divided into four sections. The south and west sections are mountainous, particularly the southern section, which rises to the peaks of the Kaikōura Ranges. These two mountainous regions are the final northern vestiges of the ranges that make up th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Waitaki District
Waitaki District is a Districts of New Zealand, territorial authority district that is located in the Canterbury Region, Canterbury and Otago regions of the South Island of New Zealand. It straddles the traditional border between the two regions, the Waitaki River, and its seat is Oamaru. History Waitaki District is made up of the former Waitaki County, Waihemo County and Oamaru Borough, which were amalgamated in 1989. It is governed by the Waitaki District Council. Name During the colonial period, the area was also known as ''Molesworth''. However, the Māori name ''Waitaki'' eventually prevailed. Geography It has a land area of , of which or 59.02% is in the Canterbury Region and or 40.98% in the Otago Region. It is the only district in the South Island that lies in two regions. A major reason for this split was the governance of the Waitaki River, which forms a political boundary between Canterbury and Otago. With major hydro schemes on this river, it was decided to place ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of island countries, sixth-largest island country by area and lies east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and south of the islands of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. The Geography of New Zealand, country's varied topography and sharp mountain peaks, including the Southern Alps (), owe much to tectonic uplift and volcanic eruptions. Capital of New Zealand, New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, and its most populous city is Auckland. The islands of New Zealand were the last large habitable land to be settled by humans. Between about 1280 and 1350, Polynesians began to settle in the islands and subsequently developed a distinctive Māori culture. In 1642, the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to sight and record New Zealand. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Banks Peninsula
Banks Peninsula () is a rocky peninsula on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand that was formed by two now-extinct volcanoes. It has an area of approximately . It includes two large deep-water harbours — Lyttelton Harbour and Akaroa Harbour — and many smaller bays and coves. The South Island's largest city, Christchurch, is immediately north of the peninsula which, is administered by Christchurch City Council. The main settlements are Lyttelton and Akaroa. The peninsula's economy is based on fisheries, farming and tourism. Māori were the first people to visit, and settle, the peninsula. The sparse population was reduced further following massacres by raiding parties of North Island Māori in 1830 and 1832. In 1770, explorer James Cook became the first European to sight the peninsula, which he mistook for an island, naming it after his ship's botanist Joseph Banks. From the 1830s, European whalers set up shore-based stations in some of the bays and harbo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sophora Prostrata Divaricating Branching
''Sophora'' is a genus of about 45 species of small trees and shrubs in the pea family Fabaceae. The species have a pantropical distribution. The generic name is derived from ''sophera'', an Arabic name for a pea-flowered tree. The genus formerly had a broader interpretation including many other species now treated in other genera, notably ''Styphnolobium'' (pagoda tree genus), which differs in lacking nitrogen fixing bacteria (rhizobia) on the roots, and ''Dermatophyllum'' (the mescalbeans). ''Styphnolobium'' has galactomannans as seed polysaccharide reserve, in contrast ''Sophora'' contains arabinogalactans, and ''Dermatophyllum'' amylose. The New Zealand ''Sophora'' species are known as kowhai. The seeds of species such as ''Sophora affinis'' and ''Sophora chrysophylla'' are reported to be poisonous. Fossil record One ''Sophora'' fossil seed pod from the middle Eocene epoch has been described from the Miller clay pit in Henry County, Tennessee, United States. Species ''So ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
:Category:Divaricating Plants
Divaricate is a botanical term meaning "spreading at a wide angle". Plants are said to be divaricating when their growth form is such that each internode diverges widely from the previous internode producing an often tightly interlaced shrub or small tree. . Of the 72 small leaved shrubs found on the Banks Peninsula Banks Peninsula () is a rocky peninsula on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand that was formed by two now-extinct volcanoes. It has an area of approximately . It includes two large deep-water harbours — Lyttelton Harbour a ..., some 38 are divaricating. References {{reflist Plants by stem morphology ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kōwhai
Kōwhai ( or ) are small woody legume trees within the genus '' Sophora'', in the family Fabaceae, that are native to New Zealand. There are eight species, with '' Sophora microphylla'' and '' Sophora tetraptera'' being large trees. Their natural habitat is beside streams and on the edges of forest, in lowland or mountain open areas. Kōwhai trees grow throughout the country and are a common feature in New Zealand gardens. Outside of New Zealand, kōwhai tend to be restricted to mild temperate maritime climates. The blooms of the kōwhai are widely regarded as being one of New Zealand's unofficial national flowers. Name The Māori word ''kōwhai'' derives from the Proto-East Central Pacific word ''kōfai'', used to refer to leguminous trees that grow pods and typically have distinct flowers. It is related to words in some other Polynesian languages that refer to different species that look superficially similar, such as ('' Sesbania tomentosa''), ('' Sesbania grandiflora ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sophora
''Sophora'' is a genus of about 45 species of small trees and shrubs in the pea family Fabaceae. The species have a pantropical distribution. The generic name is derived from ''sophera'', an Arabic name for a pea-flowered tree. The genus formerly had a broader interpretation including many other species now treated in other genera, notably ''Styphnolobium'' (pagoda tree genus), which differs in lacking nitrogen fixing bacteria (rhizobia) on the roots, and '' Dermatophyllum'' (the mescalbeans). ''Styphnolobium'' has galactomannans as seed polysaccharide reserve, in contrast ''Sophora'' contains arabinogalactans, and ''Dermatophyllum'' amylose. The New Zealand ''Sophora'' species are known as kowhai. The seeds of species such as ''Sophora affinis'' and ''Sophora chrysophylla'' are reported to be poisonous. Fossil record One ''Sophora'' fossil seed pod from the middle Eocene epoch has been described from the Miller clay pit in Henry County, Tennessee, United States. Species ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trees Of New Zealand
New Zealand's long geological isolation means that most of Flora of New Zealand, its flora is unique, with many durable hard woods. There is a wide variety of native trees, adapted to all the various micro-climates in New Zealand. The native bush (forest) ranges from the subtropical Agathis australis, kauri forests of the northern North Island, temperate rainforests of the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast, the alpine forests of the Southern Alps and Fiordland to the coastal forests of the Abel Tasman National Park and the Catlins. In the early period of British colonisation, many New Zealand trees were known by names derived from the names of unrelated European trees, but more recently the trend has been to adopt the native Māori language names into English. For a listing in order of Māori name, with species names for most, see the ''Flora of New Zealand'' list overnacular names The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network has published a list of New Zealand indigenous vascul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
