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The coastal peppercress (Lepidium banksii) was so poorly known that when Harry Allan under took his treatment of the genus for Volume I of the Flora of New Zealand series he was reduced to quoting Thomas Kirk’s original description without any further comment. He had seen no recent gatherings and he did not know the species. Lepidium banksii was subsequently rediscovered in the Abel Tasman National Park by Allan Esler in 1963, and later during a survey of the Waimea Estuary, Nelson, another population was found by Department of Conservation botanist Shannel Courtney. By 1990 only 26 plants were known from the wild. Shannel Courtney and another Department of Conservation botanist Simon Walls have been battling to prevent this unusual peppercress from going extinct. It’s an incredible story…
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This website has received over 10 million hits since it was established in August 2003.
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The Network has now established an animal pest database on this website. See under "Threats to plant life".
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The Networks monthly newsletter for June has just been published - see the Newsletter and Publications section of the website.
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Aciphylla (Apiaceae) is a genus of c. 27 species, found mainly in New Zealand but with two species in Australia. It was last revised completely by Oliver (1956). Oliver’s revision is inadequate. New work by David Genny at Landcare Research is working to revise the genus.