Overview
In December 2020, Research Scientist Heidi Meudt and Collection Manager Antony Kusabs made botanical collections on Maungapohatu in collaboration with Atamira Nuku (Tamakaimoana). They were joined in their search by Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research botanist Kerry Ford, and Wildlands Consultant botanists William Shaw and Sarah Beadel.
They were looking for two species of Myosotis, including Myosotis saxosa, which has not been collected since the 1980s. Although one non-flowering population of Myosotis forsteri was found, unfortunately no plants of Myosotis saxosa were located over two days of searching.
Other indigenous and naturalised species were collected as part of general Te Papa collection development to improve our knowledge of what grows where in New Zealand.
Most of the collection records and photos of plants we collected on this trip can be seen here (scroll down to "Related Objects" below).