Introduction
Overview
New Zealand native ground covers are diverse, hardy plants that form low-growing mats and carpets, perfect for stabilizing soil, covering difficult areas, and creating attractive underplantings. These resilient species include Acaena species (Bidibidi), Fuchsia procumbens (Creeping Fuchsia), and Leptinella species, many of which produce distinctive flowers, fruits, or seasonal colour changes. Native ground covers are invaluable for erosion control, wildlife habitat, and low-maintenance landscaping in challenging sites where traditional lawn struggles to thrive.
Leptinella albida
Leptinella albida
Leptinella albida is a small, creeping button daisy endemic to the high block mountains of Central Otago.
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Leptinella calcarea
Leptinella calcarea
Leptinella calcarea is a small, mat-forming button daisy found only on the coast of north-west Nelson, from Cape Farewell south to Kahurangi Point.
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Leptinella lanata
Leptinella lanata
Leptinella lanata is a robust but small-leaved subantarctic button daisy found on the Auckland Islands and Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku, and since 2004 also known from.
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Leptinella maniototo
Leptinella maniototo
Leptinella maniototo is one of New Zealand's smallest button daisies, a tiny perennial, occasionally annual, herb that forms loose patches or an inconspicuous low turf.
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Leptinella plumosa
Leptinella plumosa
Leptinella plumosa is the largest-leaved of the subantarctic button daisies, a creeping perennial with soft, light green, finely divided leaves up to 20 cm long that.
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Leptinella potentillina
Leptinella potentillina
Leptinella potentillina is a robust, fleshy button daisy endemic to the Chatham Islands and the Auckland Islands.
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Leptinella pusilla
Leptinella pusilla
Small button daisy (Leptinella pusilla) forming brown-flecked tufts on open gravel, sand and tussock grassland in eastern NZ. At Risk - Declining.
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Leptinella rotundata
Leptinella rotundata
Leptinella rotundata is a creeping, mat-forming herb in the daisy family, endemic to the west coast of the northern North Island between Scott's Point at Te Paki and the.
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Leptinella tenella
Leptinella tenella
Leptinella tenella is a soft, creeping perennial herb in the daisy family, endemic to New Zealand.
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Carmichaelia uniflora
Carmichaelia uniflora
Dwarf broom ( Carmichaelia uniflora ) is one of the smallest native brooms, a rhizomatous shrub that forms dense mats or tufts only 20 to 60 mm tall but up to 1 m wide.
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Carmichaelia vexillata
Carmichaelia vexillata
Dwarf broom ( Carmichaelia vexillata ) is a low, spreading native broom up to 15 cm tall and 40 cm wide, endemic to the eastern South Island from South Canterbury to Otago.
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Celmisia clavata
Celmisia clavata
Stewart Island silver cushion daisy ( Celmisia clavata ) is a small, semi-woody subshrub found only on Stewart Island/Rakiura.
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Veronica chionohebe
Veronica chionohebe
Veronica chionohebe, formerly called Veronica chionohebe , is a tiny cushion-forming snow hebe endemic to the high block mountains of Central Otago.
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Veronica thomsonii
Veronica thomsonii
Snow hebe (Veronica thomsonii), long known as Veronica thomsonii , is a dense cushion plant endemic to the high mountains of the South Island.
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Colobanthus apetalus
Colobanthus apetalus
Colobanthus apetalus is a small, tufted herb of the carnation family (Caryophyllaceae) with narrow, grassy leaves 10 to 25 mm long and tiny green flowers that have.
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Colobanthus brevisepalus
Colobanthus brevisepalus
Pin cushion ( Colobanthus brevisepalus ) is a tiny cushion plant in the carnation family, endemic to the eastern South Island from Marlborough southwards.
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Colobanthus buchananii
Colobanthus buchananii
Pin cushion (Colobanthus buchananii) is a small, compact endemic herb in the carnation family that forms tight hummocks of short stems clothed in stiff, needle-tipped.
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Azorella allanii
Azorella allanii
Schizeilema allanii , now known as Azorella allanii , is a rare, hairless creeping herb in the carrot family.
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Azorella cockaynei
Azorella cockaynei
Azorella cockaynei , long known as Schizeilema cockaynei , is one of the smallest members of the carrot family in New Zealand.
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Azorella colensoi
Azorella colensoi
Azorella colensoi , formerly Schizeilema colensoi , is a small creeping herb of the carrot family endemic to the North Island.
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Azorella exigua
Azorella exigua
Azorella exigua , long known as Schizeilema exiguum , is a minute subalpine herb of the carrot family endemic to Otago and Southland.
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Azorella hydrocotyloides
Azorella hydrocotyloides
Azorella hydrocotyloides , formerly Schizeilema hydrocotyloides , is a creeping mountain herb of the carrot family endemic to New Zealand.
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Azorella nitens
Azorella nitens
Azorella nitens , formerly Schizeilema nitens , is a small wetland herb of the carrot family endemic to the North and South Islands.
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Azorella schizeilema
Azorella schizeilema
Azorella schizeilema , long known as Schizeilema reniforme , is a small creeping herb of the carrot family found only on New Zealand's subantarctic Auckland Islands and.
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Colobanthus canaliculatus
Colobanthus canaliculatus
Colobanthus canaliculatus is a small, compact alpine cushion plant in the carnation family (Caryophyllaceae), endemic to New Zealand.
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Colobanthus monticola
Colobanthus monticola
Colobanthus monticola is a small cushion-forming alpine herb in the carnation family (Caryophyllaceae), found only in the mountains of the South Island from the.
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Colobanthus muelleri
Colobanthus muelleri
Colobanthus muelleri is a small coastal herb in the carnation family (Caryophyllaceae), endemic to New Zealand.
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Colobanthus strictus
Colobanthus strictus
Colobanthus strictus is a small endemic herb in the carnation family (Caryophyllaceae) that forms cushions or mats several centimetres across.
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Coprosma crenulata
Coprosma crenulata
Coprosma crenulata is a low, sprawling shrub endemic to the South Island and Stewart Island/Rakiura, growing up to 0.3 m tall with long trailing branches and.
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Coprosma depressa
Coprosma depressa
Coprosma depressa is a flattened, sprawling shrub endemic to New Zealand, usually well under 0.3 m tall, with long slender branches that root as they criss-cross over.
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Coprosma distantia
Coprosma distantia
Coprosma distantia is a rare, prostrate, densely matted shrub found naturally only on the 120 ha of serpentinite rock at the Surville Cliffs in the North Cape Scientific.
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Argyrotegium mackayi
Argyrotegium mackayi
Argyrotegium mackayi is a small, mat-forming member of the daisy family whose leaves are densely covered in white wool on both surfaces.
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Euchiton audax
Euchiton audax
Creeping cudweed ( Euchiton audax ) is a small, stoloniferous perennial daisy endemic to New Zealand and found on the North, South and Chatham Islands.
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Euchiton limosus
Euchiton limosus
Euchiton limosus is a stoloniferous perennial cudweed in the daisy family, native to New Zealand's North and South Islands and also to south-eastern Australia, where it.
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Euchiton paludosus
Euchiton paludosus
Euchiton paludosus is one of New Zealand's smallest cudweeds, an endemic stoloniferous perennial that forms diminutive mats no more than about 8 cm across.
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Euchiton ruahinicus
Euchiton ruahinicus
Creeping cudweed ( Euchiton ruahinicus ) is a stoloniferous perennial daisy endemic to New Zealand and named after the Ruahine Range.
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Anaphalioides alpina
Anaphalioides alpina
Anaphalioides alpina is a prostrate, mat-forming everlasting daisy endemic to the mountains of the central North Island and Mt Taranaki.
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Anaphalioides hookeri
Anaphalioides hookeri
Anaphalioides hookeri is a prostrate, trailing everlasting daisy endemic to New Zealand.
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Scaevola gracilis
Scaevola gracilis
Scaevola gracilis is a creeping, semi-woody shrub that in New Zealand grows only on the Kermadec Islands, on Raoul and Macauley Islands.
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Chenopodium allanii
Chenopodium allanii
Chenopodium allanii , now usually called Chenopodium allanii , is a small endemic perennial herb in the goosefoot and amaranth family (Amaranthaceae).
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Dracophyllum politum
Dracophyllum politum
Dracophyllum politum is a cushion-forming member of the heath family (Ericaceae) endemic to New Zealand.
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Dracophyllum prostratum
Dracophyllum prostratum
Dracophyllum prostratum is a tiny prostrate, trailing or cushion-forming shrublet in the heath family, endemic to the South Island south of Arthur's Pass.
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Haastia recurva var. recurva
Haastia recurva
Haastia recurva var. recurva is a low, sprawling alpine daisy endemic to the screes of Marlborough and Canterbury in the South Island.
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Haastia recurva var. wallii
Haastia recurva
Haastia recurva var. wallii is a small, woolly alpine daisy known only from subalpine and alpine screes in south Marlborough.
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Kelleria laxa
Kelleria laxa
Kelleria laxa is a small, prostrate woody subshrub in the daphne family (Thymelaeaceae), endemic to New Zealand.
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Kelleria multiflora
Kelleria multiflora
Kelleria multiflora is a low, mat-forming woody subshrub in the daphne family (Thymelaeaceae), endemic to New Zealand.
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Kelleria tessellata
Kelleria tessellata
Kelleria tessellata is a rare, low-growing alpine subshrub in the daphne family (Thymelaeaceae), endemic to New Zealand and known mainly from the mountains of north-west.
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Lilaeopsis ruthiana
Lilaeopsis ruthiana
Lilaeopsis ruthiana is a tiny aquatic member of the carrot family (Apiaceae) that creeps by rhizomes to form low, grass-like lawns on the sandy and silty shores of New.
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