The Chatham Island forget-me-not has won a competition by beating back deadly nettle in a fortnight to become New Zealand's preferred plant of 2010.


The Chatham Island forget-me-not. Photo by John Sawyer.

In an online poll conducted by the New Zealand Plant Conservation Network for the country's favourite plant, the potentially deadly tree nettle dominated voting until the Chatham Island forget-me-not came to the fore in the final fortnight.
The Chatham Island icon is revered by gardeners nationwide but is threatened with extinction in the wild.
It has large blue flowered inflorescences, grows in patches up to a metre tall and is usually found on wild coastal cliffs, rock outcrops, above the strand zone on beaches and in coastal forest openings.
There was good support for the tree nettle for supporters of butterfly conservation as it is a host plant for the butterfly and for its home security value – a perfect deterrent for thieves when planted below windows.
More than 125 plant species were voted for in the competition; with the silver fern placed 11th and the pohutukawa 23rd.
To view the top 100 plants of 2010, visit www.nzpcn.org.nz