Plant Biosystematics
Introduction
Rata in flower. Image – John Hunt
New Zealand has a unique and diverse indigenous flora and an ever-increasing introduced flora. This programme will increase knowledge and understanding of the biosystematics of both floras by applying a wide range of taxonomic techniques including the newer methodologies of cladistics and molecular biology. Relationships between species, genera, and families will be clarified. This will lead to improved classification essential for the effective use, management, and protection of our flora. New keys and descriptions will provide accurate identification and allow reliable access to information. Better knowledge of seeds, anatomy, and chromosome numbers produced by this programme will provide tools useful in other research areas such as vegetation history, archaeology, and forensic science. Plant biosystematic information is published in Flora of New Zealand volumes, monographs, and research papers, which support agencies working with poisonous plants, weeds, conservation, forensics, and biological research. Plant collections and supporting databases provide an underlying basis of knowledge of New Zealand's flora, thereby contributing to both research and an understanding of biological diversity and the sustainability of New Zealand's ecosystem processes. Staff contacts
| Find out about the Allan Herbarium |
See also plant research projects at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
Research areas
Primary contact: Sue Scheele
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Primary contact: Aaron Wilton
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Primary contact: Peter Heenan
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Primary contact: Ilse Breitwieser
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Primary contact: Ilse Breitwieser
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Primary contact: Ilse Breitwieser
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Ethnobotany
Floras and Guides
Naturalisations
Origin, speciation & diversification of NZ plants
Revisions
Smaller taxonomic issuesTools & Services
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Allan Herbarium loan services
The Allan Herbarium operates a loan programme to bona fide researchers. -
Botanical bibliographies
This page provides references for biographical information of New Zealand Botanists sorted alphabetically by surname. -
Botanical surveys
Field surveys to assess the floristic diversity of an area. -
Flora of New Zealand series – electronic version
Online access to the Flora series describing New Zealand´s unique flora. -
Flora of New Zealand series – print version
This Flora series describes New Zealand´s unique flora. It is available from Manaaki Whenua Press. -
Interactive keys to plants
Interactive keys are a tool to assist users to identify plant material. Outcomes were traditionally limited by dichotomous keys. By using interactive keys users can start at any point and there are usually illustrations to assist decision making. Interactive keys can be designed to cope with common misinterpretations and still allow users to reach a correct result. -
Key to Coprosma species of New Zealand
Allows you to identify any of the 53 species of Coprosma currently recognised in New Zealand -
Key to weedy daisies of the South Pacific
The key includes 43 species of weeds and two species of indigenous Asteraceae from the South Pacific Region. The weedy species have been chosen on the basis of their invasive potential. -
Native plants of schools and marae in New Zealand
This Lucid3 key is for the identification of New Zealand native plants commonly found in school grounds and marae. The key was developed for simple identification of these plants by students. -
Ngā Tipu Aotearoa – New Zealand Plants
Provides the names of plant taxa that are wild in New Zealand. Includes seed plants, ferns, mosses, liverworts, freshwater algae and lichens -
NZGrass Key – interactive key to the grasses of NZ
This key is illustrated with over 1400 images and is connected by hyperlinks at the species level to the digitised version of the Grass Flora, NZ Plant Conservation Network and Ngā Tipu o Aotearoa – New Zealand Plants (a database derived from the New Zealand Plant Names database and the Allan Herbarium Specimen database). -
Phylogeny of New Zealand plants
This work looks at the pattern of relationships between a common ancestor and its descendants. A phylogeny provides a framework to understand evolutionary Phylogeny looks at the pattern of relationships between a common ancestor and its descendants, which provides a framework to understand evolutionary processes of diversification, dispersal and extinction. -
Plant identification and information service
Landcare Research offers a range of information services for plants. -
Plant identification workshops
These annual 2–day plant identification workshops teach the basics of flowering plant identification, with an emphasis on the New Zealand adventive flora. -
Weeds Key – interactive key to the weed species of New Zealand
Interactive key for the identification of more than 500 taxa (species, subspecies, varieties, hybrids and cultivars) including the Department of Conservation consolidated list of environmental weeds in New Zealand (Howell, 2008) and the National Pest Plant Accord (NPPA) list of species banned from sale, distribution, and propagation in New Zealand.
Primary contact
 | Ilse Breitwieser Email  |
Landcare Research | |
Phone: +64 3 321 9999 |