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The flowers of alpine plants, including pekapeka (mountain daisy, Celmisia gracilenta; page 25), are mostly white. This feature is especially obvious when comparing the flowers of native species with relatives in the northern hemisphere, such as forget-me-nots (e.g. Myosotis forsteri; page 37) and gentians, which are mostly blue in Europe. Again, this is an adaptation to local pollinators.
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Deciduous trees, such as kōtukutuku (tree fuchsia, Fuchsia excorticata; page 77), are uncommon due to the relatively mild winters in Aotearoa, which means that evergreen trees – including rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum; page 69), tawa (Beilschmiedia tawa; page 61) and many others – abound.
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Aotearoa has a number of dioecious species, where male and female flowers are borne on separate individuals. They include kōhia (New Zealand passionflower, Passiflora tetrandra; page 53), makomako (wineberry, Aristotelia serrata; page 57) and four other species described in this book. This strategy promotes crosspollination between genetically distinct plants and consequently increases genetic diversity.
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Some woody plants, such as kāmahi (Pterophylla racemosa; page 103), have different juvenile and adult forms. These ‘shapeshifting’ species can change the size, shape and lobing of their leaf margins over the course of their life, a feature that makes identification difficult.
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There is an abundance of divaricating shrubs. These are plants with small leaves on tough, wiry stems that have a tight, dense, interlocking branching pattern. This growth form is believed to have evolved as a defence against browsing by moa.
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The megaherbs of the subantarctic islands have unique adaptations. Unlike plants on the mainland, their leaves are very large, thick and hairy, and their flowers deep shades of pink, yellow and purple. These adaptations are believed to help them harvest heat whenever the sun is shining, a rare event at such latitudes. The heat they trap then attracts insects, which in turn pollinate the flowers. 8
