|
|
Tussock
plateau stretching towards Ngaruhoe.
Photo F. Blanc-Paques |
| "The predominant plant covering of the national park and
the Central Plateau is the wi tussock grass,
or snow grass, spreading for league upon league from the Ruapehu
forest far over the great pumice-coated plains; sometimes brown
and dull, sometimes a rich russet, according to the season and sunshine
and wind play." Quoted
from Cowan: The
Tongariro National park. |
" Grasslands are a feature of alpine vegetation
above the natural tree line, but here have extended down to fill
areas that were cleared by the Taupo eruption, or have been prevented
from becoming shrublands and forest by subsequent fires".
Quoted
from Roots
of Fire - A Guide to the Plant Ecology of Tongariro National
park. |
Forests
of
Tongariro National Park |
click on pictures, or start guided
tour of vegetation and landscapes in Tongariro National
Park |
General
vegetation of
Tongariro National Park
|
Books
and references:
Isobel
Gabites, 1986: Roots
of Fire - A Guide to the
Plant Ecology of Tongariro National park. Tongariro Natural History
Society. Page 77: Tussocklands, page 40-41 for the vegetation
map and corresponding legend.
Lloyd Homer
and Les Molloy, 1988. The
Fold of the Land-New Zealand's
National Parks from the air. Allen & Unwin. Page
170, fig. 16 for forest on the southern slopes of Ruapehu, and page
171, fig. 18 for the patchy forest cover on the western slopes of Ruapehu.
Common
Alpine and Forest Plants
of Tongariro National Park. Tongariro Natural History Society and
Department of Conservation, 1996.
James Cowan,
1927: The Tongariro National Park, New Zealand
- Its topography, geology, alpine and volcanic features, history and
Maori folk-lore. Ferguson & Osborn Ltd for The Tongariro National
park Board. Page 21: Vegetation of the Park.
Other relevant
bibliographical references:
| New
Zealand National Parks |
|
Collins |
1979 |
| Report
on a botanical survey of Tongariro National Park, N.Z. |
Cockayne,
L |
Parl.
House Rep., A-J C11 |
1908 |
|
