New Zealand's native orchids are extraordinary plants and difficult to spot in the wild. But there are some rare species many might not even recognise as living things.
Cooper's black orchid is one of them. Classified as nationally critical and as rare as kākāpō, these orchids spend most of the year living underground in the form of a potato-like tuber, sprouting a stick of delicate, unassuming flowers only briefly during the height of summer.
Since Te Papa botany curator Carlos Lehnebach first identified this potato orchid in 2016, fewer than 250 adult plants have been found, limited to three sites across New Zealand. A pine forest in the Wairarapa is the only North Island site with a small remnant population. "There were fewer than 20 flowering plants at the site," Lehnebach says. "In the past two years, this number has fluctuated between 10 and only two."
The orchid is found nowhere else in the world. "Considering the amount of deforestation the Wairarapa Plains have been subjected to since people arrived in New Zealand, this orchid could well be the last surviving creature from the time of those pristine forests."
Denne historien er fra August 10-16, 2024-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra August 10-16, 2024-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
