The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

I am interested to go and take a look at the ellington population(s) of Rhabdothamnus. I've heard that they are quite distinctive with a yellow flower. Distribution list mentions Battle Hill and Smiths Creek near Makara. Has anyone been to see eitehr population in recent years? Are they still there? Any ips on finding them?

I was also surprised to see a wild observation near the Paparoas. To my knowledge this is an exclusively North Island species. The observation dates from a 1951 vegetation survey. Can anyone shed any light on this?

Hi Jack, I can tell you that the Battle Hill population is alive and well. You will likely spot them in the understorey when doing the main track. Have a close look at the leaves of this species before you set out as without flowers on a plant it is easy to overlook.

Thanks Matt. I'm pretty familiar with ol' stubble leaves from my Taranaki days. It was a fairly common understory component in the forests out east towards the Whanganui.
I'm hoping that at this time of year it will have some flowers on it as well - one in Dad's garden in Nelson is currently pretty floribund at the moment.

Hi Jack - I discovered the Smith's Creek population in 1990 - to my eyes it had orange then not yellow flowers. Nor have I seen yellow flowers at Battle Hill. But I was last there in 1991 - memory may be fading! If it helps I have seen yellow-flowers in the islands of the Hauraki Gulf and on Tuhua (Mayor Island).

Thanks for the reply Peter - interesting. I may have had my wires crossed about the flower colour - I can't recall who told me.
Do you recall how far up Smiths Creek the Rhabdothamnus was? Easy to get along the coast there.

Quite intrigued by the Buller record. Could be a data error but it is hard to imagine a surveyor mis-identifying anything else as Rhabdothamnus.
I know that the coastal zone around the Paparoas has a quite mild climate limestoneand they get a few species growing well there which are otherwise scarce or absent. Could this be a genuine outlier population inhabiting a microclimate?

The 1951 Buller Record, unsupported as it is by herbarium evidence, I would not accept. No one that I know has seen this distinctive plant in a natural state in the South Island, and the Buller is now fairly well known. As far as I am concerned Rhabdothamnus is endemic to the North Island, and I won't believe otherwise until i see good evidence in the form of clear images supported with herbarium specimens.

Nw, Makara, Smith Creek - well its a long way up, if walking from Makara up stream, then look on the western bank on the cliff faces in a small forest remnant I recollect. There is not much - I found it in pouring rain and never went back there but I gather the Department of Conservation (Wellington) relocated it there - so ask them for more details.

Cheers Peter, good one

I went looking for the Smith Creek population in the mid 90's. If it was the same population it was down to one plant growing above the stream and in danger of being eroded away.

There was one small plant trackside at Kaitoke on the loop track from the swingbridge to the bridge near the pumphouse.

There is a very good population across the ways from Battle Hill on a QE2 covenant where it grows above the access road

For interest, I have an image (attached, taken with a flash) of a yellow-flowered Rhabdothamnus,on Exhibition Drive, Titirangi, Auckland, on 6 Nov 2011.