 | Propagate Pre treatment: none needed but 1 - 3 months cold moist stratification (CMS) evens out germination Germination: 4 - 12 weeks Pricking out: 4 - 8 months after sowing Tips: prone to Damping off |
At a quiet time for seed collection the stunning dark purple, almost black fruit of Pseudopanax arboreus (whauwhaupaku, five finger) is in various stages of ripeness. The dark colour of the fruit looks so promising from a distance but more often than not, on closer inspection, is still just slowly creeping towards ripeness. I use my thumbnail to test a sample of fruit, if it hits the hard seed without passing right through, there's likely some good ripe seed.
The fruit can be quite tough so I usually rough it up a bit with some hard sand and leave it moist for a while to ferment and soften up, then scrub the fruit off and keep the seeds that sink, its usually a good sign of ripe/mature seed.
The seedlings are awfully prone to damping off so make sure they don't stay too wet and let them get to a decent size before pricking out so they can harden up a bit.
The fruit can be quite tough so I usually rough it up a bit with some hard sand and leave it moist for a while to ferment and soften up, then scrub the fruit off and keep the seeds that sink, its usually a good sign of ripe/mature seed.
The seedlings are awfully prone to damping off so make sure they don't stay too wet and let them get to a decent size before pricking out so they can harden up a bit.
Carpodetus serratus, (putaputaweta or marble leaf) is another of the few species in fruit right now and for that very reason, good luck beating the birds to them! The fruits ripen one at a time (almost literally), I've bagged a few branches with bags made of frost cloth to ensure I get the few fruits needed for the following years reveg season, they turn black when ripe and can be rolled in your fingers to release the many seeds that come away without any fruit residue due to their shiny seed coat.
Putaputaweta is endemic to New Zealand and is the only species in the Rousseaceae family in our native flora. It gets its Maori name from the weta jumping out of their hiding places in the branches (burrows made by pururi caterpillars) when tossed on a fire. The native puriri moth (Aenetus virescens) caterlillars that favour a number of native and exotic trees, burrow into the trunk and feed on the cambium (that's after they have spent their very first life stage feeding on fungi). They cover the burrow entrance with a silky web fashioned to look like a knot in the wood!
The galls that Carpodetus are often covered in (pictured at top) are host to a whole succession of occupants. The lavae of the midge that causes the gall is parasitized by four different species of Hymenoptera (the group that includes, bees, ants and wasps), then later the dying gall tissue is used as a breeding site by weevils.
The galls that Carpodetus are often covered in (pictured at top) are host to a whole succession of occupants. The lavae of the midge that causes the gall is parasitized by four different species of Hymenoptera (the group that includes, bees, ants and wasps), then later the dying gall tissue is used as a breeding site by weevils.
 | Propagate Pre treatment: sow fresh Germination: 1.5 - 6 weeks Pricking out: 2 - 5 months but ongoing up to 12 Tips: mostly easy but once it dries out its done for, it doesn't wilt and bounce back like many species |
One of our most widespread and best known natives manuka (Leptospermum scoparium var. scoparium), a hugely popular garden plant with a countless variety of cultivars, can be collected almost all year round so its a good one to target in the 'off' season. Each capsule contains many hundreds of tiny hair-like seeds so even taking a small stem is plenty. You can see when the capsules are ready to burst by the thin glint of copper at the joins between the locules shown above. Put them in a paper bag to continue opening and fully dry out then sow them as soon as possible, they don't have a long shelf life.
If you're wondering is it manuka or is it kanuka (Kunzea robusta), the obvious differences are; manuka has large single flowers and hard rounded capsules with bulging lids, kanuka has clusters of much smaller flowers and soft capsules with sunken lids; manuka has pricklier leaves and is a smaller growing tree so the great big ones you see will be kanuka.
If you're wondering is it manuka or is it kanuka (Kunzea robusta), the obvious differences are; manuka has large single flowers and hard rounded capsules with bulging lids, kanuka has clusters of much smaller flowers and soft capsules with sunken lids; manuka has pricklier leaves and is a smaller growing tree so the great big ones you see will be kanuka.
 |  | Propagate Pre treatment: 1 month CMS will even out germination but can stay in CMS for several months if you want as the seeds don't have a great shelf life Germination: 4 weeks - 1 year + Pricking out: 5 - 12 months (+) after sowing Tips: Let them get to decent size (~2cm) before pricking out and do so in the warmer months |
Rangiora (Brachyglottis repanda, bushman's toilet paper, bushman's friend) is one of over 30 species of native Brachyglottis, almost half of which are uncommon or at some level of risk in the wild. Its large fluffy flower heads are loved by bees and butterflies and though its a great coloniser it can be a bit tricky to propagate from seed. Like most Asteraceae the viability of its seeds is pretty low but it makes a massive amount of them so when they're all fluffy and easily falling off, stuff the flower head inside a paper bag and shake them off. Sow really thickly to get a good strike.
If you want lots at once the cold moist stratification will even out the germination but sometimes its quite handy to have seedlings coming up over a period of time so you don't have more than you can deal with. Sown fresh these seeds will keep germinating in your seed tray for a year or more so you can have several years worth from the one tray.
If you want lots at once the cold moist stratification will even out the germination but sometimes its quite handy to have seedlings coming up over a period of time so you don't have more than you can deal with. Sown fresh these seeds will keep germinating in your seed tray for a year or more so you can have several years worth from the one tray.
Flowering
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Parsonsia heterophylla (kaihua, NZ jasmine)
 |  Knightia excelsa (rewarewa, NZ honeysuckle) left: Fuchsia excorticata (kotukutuku, tree fuchsia) |
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Pseudowintera axillaris (Lowland horopito, lowland pepper tree)
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Clematis forsteri (Forster's clematis) Anaphalioides trinervis
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Acaena anserinifolia (Bidibid, hutiwai, piripiri) Aciphylla squarrosa (Taramea, speargrass,Spaniard)
This little bidibidi earned a special mention for its opportunistic use of its neighbouring shrub for height, light and warmth. They are galloping across a scrubby pasture near you and will grab the attention of your sock later in the season !
Pterostylis ...ummmmm... banksii ? (Tutukiwi, Greenhood)
Not one on the propagation schedule but these stunning little orchids are lining bush tracks all over the place so keep your eyes peeled !
Not one on the propagation schedule but these stunning little orchids are lining bush tracks all over the place so keep your eyes peeled !
