Plant science research , Rangahau Pūtaiao ā-tipu

In 2010 a new disease, myrtle rust, was identified in New South Wales. Myrtle rust attacks species of the family Myrtaceae.

There are 28 Myrtaceae species in New Zealand including pōhutukawa, rata, manuka, kanuka and several climbers. Two Metrosideros bartlettii and Kunzea toelkenii are threatened. Myrtaceae are found in every New Zealand forest. The trees are keystone species of our forests, and manuka is a species of economic importance. These species are potentially at risk from this rust disease, for which, presently, there is no cure.

Seed banking of New Zealand Myrtaceae is underway.

Around 500 plant species are found exclusively in the alpine zone. Of those species, around 83 per cent are found only in New Zealand, and about 33 per cent of them are either At Risk or Threatened. Most at risk are the alpine forget-me-nots (Myosotis species), alpine daphne (Pimelea spp.), hebe (Hebe, Chionohebe, Parahebe spp.), the alpine daisies (Celmisia spp.), buttercups (Ranunculus spp.), speargrass (Aciphylla spp.) and gentians (Gentianella spp.).

Alpine flora is threatened by human pressure, browsing animals and climate change. There is limited opportunity for alpine plants to migrate to new environments and if lost, our alpine biodiversity and ecosystems can never be replaced.

Therefore, there is some urgency to conserve these species. Massey University is leading a project to collect, study and store these seeds.

Kowhai (Sophora) and its relatives encompass some of the best-known flowering plants of the New Zealand flora. Recently, three new species of kowhai have been identified and some of these are of limited distribution with little data on their habitat and behaviour.

Kowhai also has several relatives, including:

• Native brooms (Carmichaelia species) found mostly in the South Island.
• Kaka beak (two Clianthus species) is found in very few places on the North Island.

Seventeen species in this group are At Risk or Threatened due to threats in their native habitats, browsing pests and habitat loss.

We aim to safeguard these species until the threats in their habitats are overcome.

Broadleaf and coniferous trees and shrubs are the backbones of New Zealand’s forest. The woody flora forms the structure of our forests, and its loss would devastate our forests and off-shore islands.

Conifers from the family Podocarpaceae include rimu, totara, miro and matai. Other indigenous conifers are kauri and the native cypresses kawaka and kaikawaka. Broadleaf trees include tawa, titoki, kohekohe, and rewarewa. The shrub layer of the forest includes species like mahoe, pittosporum, hebe and daisy bushes.

Some 250 tree and shrub species (on-shore and off-shore) are At Risk or Threatened, with kauri and rata also threatened by disease.

A number of species in this group are thought to be desiccation sensitive and therefore cannot be banked under standard conditions. New protocols will need to be developed for these species.

Our specimens are often used as a reference to identify new collections.

We compare specimens across a geographical distribution to compare the morphological variation present within a species.

Historical collections housed in herbaria around New Zealand can also provide information about local flora that is no longer present. This information can indicate when a non-native species first appeared in a region or even how the geographic distribution of a species has shifted with climate change.

Herbarium specimens have also become an important source of material for DNA analyses. Through DNA, we can understand phylogenetic relationships between species or assess genetic variation within populations of a single species.

The majority of our collection is from the North Island from the Volcanic Plateau to Hawke’s Bay and Taranaki and south to Wellington. We currently have 40,000 specimens databased, with more being catalogued every day.

Several important collections are housed separately from the main collections, including:

• Dame Ella Campbell’s bryophyte collections (approximately 3,000 specimens)
• E A Hodgson’s collection of bryophytes (primarily liverworts, approximately 14,000 specimens)
• J M McEwen’s collection of Coprosma (including hybrids that he made between species, approximately 1,000 specimens).

If you have an interest in a specific area and would like to find out more, please email Dr Jennifer Tate at J.Tate@massey.ac.nz

Every herbarium in the world is given a unique identifier in the Index Herbariorium, a global catalogue of these plant specimen libraries kept by the New York Botanical Garden for the International Plant Science Center. This list is published periodically by the International Association for Plant Taxonomy.

The acronym MPN is given to the Dame Ella Campbell Herbarium at Massey University and is a standard for referring to the institution and its specimens.

Index Herbariorium

International Association for Plant Taxonomy

Massey University’s Herbarium is named after renowned botanist Dame Ella Campbell.

Massey University’s first woman staff member and the only woman staff member for many years, she was a dedicated and passionate botanist.

Dame Ella joined Massey in March 1945, lecturing horticulture and agriculture students about plant morphology and anatomy.

Her primary research interest was the study of liverworts, and her vast collections still contribute to current research on the New Zealand flora. She travelled widely overseas in pursuit of liverworts and became an internationally-accredited orchid judge. She was multi-lingual and once delivered a speech in German at the 300th anniversary of the Berlin Botanical Gardens.

She remained on the teaching staff of Massey University until her ‘retirement’ in 1976 but continued to work as a research associate in the ecology building for more than two decades. She published a substantial volume of work before retiring at 90 years old.

She was awarded a DSc from the University of Otago and made a Fellow of the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture in 1976. She became a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1997 as "a pioneer in the field of university botanic research" and received the Massey Medal in 1992.

Turitea Stream runs alongside the Manawatū campus. Restoration of the stream and its surroundings will create a corridor for native plants and wildlife to thrive. Concurrent research on restoration methods and stream health will involve work from botanists, ecologists and zoologists from Massey, the local community and beyond.

Massey's arboretum is a well-established haven for native and exotic trees. This area will be incorporated into the Botanic Garden Project, with improved tree signage and pathways to enable better access to this existing resource.

Creating plots for specific research projects and themed gardens will provide researchers, students and the community with access to tailored and specific plantings for education and enjoyment.