"Acknowledging the Wellington region as one of New Zealand's "orchid hotspots", the Department of Conservation has produced a field guide identifying 72 species of wild orchids in the lower North Island.
A decade in the making, Wild orchids of the lower North Island features photographs and descriptions... to help prevent some of... rarest species from going extinct, and enhance knowledge of orchid distribution. The book is being launched... in Wellington by Conservation Minister Chris Carter. ... Department of Conservation [DOC] botanist John Sawyer... co-authored the book with Peter de Lange, one of New Zealand's leading plant conservation scientists; photographer and botanist Jeremy Rolfe, and national orchid expert Ian St George. DOC is interested in orchids because, while much of the global interest is in the cultivation of exotic forms and varieties, there is also the most important work of protecting wild populations, Mr Sawyer said. "Wetlands, dunes and forests continue to be degraded through development, drainage and the effects of exotic animals and weeds so the need to protect wild orchids becomes ever more pressing." Mr Sawyer said Wellington was a hotspot for orchids because of its "huge" diversity of habitat types and ecosystems, ranging from the dry eastern Wairarapa terrain, to sub-alpine areas and wetlands, estuaries, and the coast. "More than 70 percent of New Zealand's orchids occur in Wellington...". ... orchid collectors pose a significant threat to some of our more uncommon orchids." URL : http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0709/S00039.htm photo : [caption : Aporostylis biflora [Aporostylis bifolia (Hook.f.) Rupp & Hatch ] (odd-leafed orchid) an alpine to sub-alpine orchid found in seepages, bogs and damp ground, shrublands, and tussock and pine plantations. It has two leaves, the upper one conspicuously shorter than the lower one] http://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/0709/5da50d2e2d5dbdfc50cc.jpeg ************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
