I recently went out to Pukemokemoke Bush Reserve to hunt for Metrosideros albiflora. I didn't find this large-leaved climbing rata but I found quite a few other vine species that belong to the Waikato region. Here are photos of a few of them:
Pukemokemoke Bush Reserve is a special patch of lowland Waikato forest that is managed by a keen bunch of volunteers. The interesting flora and fauna make it well worth a visit.
Aka (Metrosideros perforata) is abundant in this reserve, some of the roots that hang down from the canopy are more than 10 cm in diameter. Photo: C. Kirby.
These aka leaves were an unusual heart shape. Photo: C. Kirby.
This is the canopy of a huge aka. Not a great photo but the small, dark foliage belongs to this climber. It extends out into the light from it's host trunk at about 8 metres in height. Photo: C. Kirby.
These leaves of kaiwhiria (Parsonsia heterophylla) are in between the variable juvenile stage and the rounded adult form. Leaves further up this trunk had the adult form while those closer to the ground were juvenile. Photo: C. Kirby.
The adult form of kaiwhiria was tangled in light gaps and near the forest edge. Photo: C. Kirby.
Kohia (Passiflora tetrandra) can also be found at Pukemokemoke. Photo: C. Kirby.
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Some vines are very effective at shaping the hosts they climb on. Both of these trunks are at Pukemokemoke. The vine on the left is probably kaiwhiria. Photos: C. Kirby.
Kareao (Ripogonum scandens) provides a handy perch for some of the Pukemokemoke fauna. This vine occurs in the wetter valleys of the reserve. Photo: C. Kirby.
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