18 Dec 2015

App for identifying endangered native orchids

From Nine To Noon, 9:30 am on 18 December 2015

There are over 120 native orchids in New Zealand  - with over half found nowhere else in the world. Many of them are threatened and have unique conservation values, but a big danger to them is that people often don't know how precious they are as they're so tricky to identify.With that in mind Landcare Research has come up with a free app called the NZ Orchid Key so the public can help identify and protect the threatened species.

With  the main flowering season starting, Landcare Reserach scientist Murray Dawson is hoping those walking in the outdoors spotting orchid-like flowers will stop and use the app - and take a picture - instead of pick them.