New Zealand Journal of Botany abstracts

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The subalpine and alpine vegetation on the Central Sedimentary Belt of Paleozoic rocks in north-west Nelson, New Zealand

P. A. WILLIAMS

Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research
Private Bag 6
Nelson, New Zealand

Abstract Thirty-four vegetation units, derived subjectively from qualitative field notes, are described from above c. 1200 m on nine ranges or parts of ranges comprising the Central Sedimentary Belt of Paleozoic rocks in north-west Nelson. From north-west to south-east they are: Haupiri Range, Douglas Range, Anatoki Range, Devil Range, Snowden Range, Lockett Range, Peel Range, southern Arthur Range, and an area known as Turks Cap. They cover an area of c. 1200 km2 and are geologically complex volcanics and sedimentary deposits including limestones. The ranges have a high rainfall varying from 5600 mm in the north-west to 2800 mm in the north- east and south. Cloud cover probably varies similarly. Because of the distribution of the major geological lithologies, rainfall is generally higher (>4000 mm) on soils formed from volcanic parent materials than those formed from calcareous parent materials (<4000 mm). Nothofagus forest predominates throughout the subalpine zone with the exception of one valley where beech is absent and where Hoheria lyallii - Griselinia littoralis forest forms the upper forest. Scrub communities are dominated by Dracophyllum uniflorum, Brachyglottis bidwillii, and Olearia colensoi, while Hebe topiaria, Olearia avicenniifolia, and Hebe taxon 1 (CHR 469400) are more abundant in the south. Tussock grassland are mainly C. pallens subsp. pallens with some C. rubra subsp. occulta and C. australis. C.flavescens subsp. lupeola is abundant on calcareous rocks in the south B92039 Received 25 August 1992; accepted 19 January 1993 with small areas of fernland and grassland of adventive species that have been formed by intensive grazing by mainly feral animals. Small areas of Oreobolus pectinatus cushion herbfield and other sedgeland are present throughout in areas of mainly rolling topography. Three of the 34 vegetation units are dominated by species or unnamed taxa endemic to north-west Nelson. Whereas most of the vegetation units are widespread and vary only in their relative importance from range to range, examples are given of individual species with highly discontinuous distributions within the study area. Some patterns are interpretable in terms of climatic gradients, the distribution of topographical features, the interaction of topography and geology, and particularly the distribution of calcareous rocks. Species that are not readily interpretable have a range of patterns within South Island as a whole: widespread, disjunct between southern and northern South Island, and those that are endemic to north-west Nelson.

Keywords alpine and subalpine vegetation; limestone mountains; species distributions; north- west Nelson

B92039 ; Received 25 August 1992; accepted 19 January 1993
New Zealand Journal of Botany, 1993, Vol. 31: 65-90
0028-825X/93/3101-0065 $2.50/0 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 1993

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (4098K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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