Growing on the mountains

Press, 14 March 1987, Page 23

Growing on the mountains

New Zealand Alpine Plante. By A. F. Mark and Nancy M. Adams. Reed Methuen, 1986. 262 pp. Illustrations, index. $29.95. More than 600 different plants grow in New Zealand’s mountains, above the tree line and below the nival zone, the region of permanent ice and snow. This guide to the alpine zone’s botany first appeared in 1973 and was revised in 1979. This new edition includes further revision of botanical names, but another edition may be needed before too long to Include drawings of newer discoveries. The drawings are a strength of the book. They should make easy the recognition of the plants, especially those likely to be found in national

parks, and the book is particularly strong on southern South Island flora. As well as the detailed reference section, there is a discussion of the formation and composition of New Zealand’s mountains, and of the adaptions plants must make to survive in areas with a very short growing season. The authors remark that an increase in altitude of 120 metres, for instance, delays flowering by four days. In all, a valuable reference for those prepared to venture above the tree line — that is, above about 1400 metres in the far north of the country, declining to about 900 metres in Fiordland.