plants

New Zealand plants are unique! New Zealand has some of the oldest primeval forests in the world, the largest type...

Chloe Stantiall, a year 5–6 kaiako at Silverdale Normal School, shares her experiences and insights from a week-long teaching and learning sequence about kōwhai. Chloe worked...

Kōwhai trees litter the banks of rivers and streams and are a popular choice as a border for new roading developments around Aotearoa. Not only are...

We all need protein to live and stay healthy. However, many protein sources are becoming an increasingly expensive way to meet our needs – both economically...

Nā te manaakitanga a Matua Mokoro Gillett, a te tumuaki o Te Wharekura o Te Rau Aroha, tēnei mahi i tutuki. The purpose of this learning...

This Connected article by Priscilla Wehi and Hemi Whaanga explores how early Māori named and grouped the plants and animals they found around them. Discover what...

This Connected article recounts an important story from the oral tradition of Tainui. It tells of how the iwi’s ancestor Whakaotirangi first brought kūmara and other...

We often think of pasture as grassy areas where cows, sheep or other animals graze, but if we take a closer look, there is a lot...

Plantain has been in the spotlight as scientists and farmers investigate its usefulness as pasture feed and its potential environmental benefits. Plantain has been part of...

Plantain is the common name for around 200 plants in the family Plantaginaceae. There are about 20 species in Aotearoa New Zealand, including 10 endemic species....

This Connected article by Sophie Fern explores how the Balaclava School gardening club investigated where was the best place to grow vegetables over Dunedin’s cold winter...

Wetlands are defined by the presence of water – places where water covers the soil or where it is present at or near the surface for...

Use this article to find out how students at Kaniere School are helping scientists combat the spread of weeds. They’re using simple digital technology to identify...

Research led by Victoria University of Wellington’s Dr Monica Gerth in collaboration with iwi has discovered molecules from New Zealand native plants could hold the solution...

This article tells the story of Chris Ryan, a high school student who investigated the medicinal properties of kawakawa. Chris initially found there was no scientific...

What is a mast? You might be forgiven for thinking it had more to do with ships than conservation! The term comes from the ancient English...

Aotearoa New Zealand is well known for its unusual plants and animals. The land mass we call home separated from Gondwanaland approximately 85 million years ago....

Scientists Tim Curran (Lincoln University), Sarah Wyse (University of Auckland) and George Perry (University of Auckland) assessed the flammability of a variety of exotic and native...

Scientists Tim Curran (Lincoln University), Sarah Wyse (University of Auckland) and George Perry (University of Auckland) looked at the impacts of exotic plant species on fires....

Myrtle rust is a disease caused by the fungus Austropuccinia psidii. It threatens plants in the Myrtaceae (myrtle) family. New Zealand has a variety of native...

An ecosystem consists of all of the living organisms in an area and the interactions between them and the physical environment. New Zealand has a wide...

In November 2010, the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae pv. Actinidiae (Psa) was discovered in a Te Puke kiwifruit orchard. Psa had previously decimated kiwifruit crops in other...

Mānuka is the Māori name for shrubs or small trees of the species Leptospermum scoparium in New Zealand. Products derived from mānuka – both honey from...

Trees are plants and carry out the life processes that all plants share. However, trees are not actually a scientific group of their own. Trees may...