Wild Plant hunting in New Zealand:
Raoulia buchananii also referred to as vegetable Sheep (due to the fact that it resembles a wooly sheep laying down on the ground), grows only in the South Island of New Zealand high in the Southern Alps. It typically grows on rocky outcroppings and bluffs at altitudes of 1200-1800 meters. It took us a bit of climbing to find these beauties, but it was definitely worth the climb.
I’m sure it was a coincidence, but they appeared to be happiest in only the windiest of conditions. I say this because each time we stumbled onto one we were nearly blown off the top of a craggy ridge somewhere.
Beneath the leaves are the remains of old, rotted leaves that form a dense matt of peat-like material that holds water like a sponge. These mountains are located just above Lake Rotoiti in the Southern Alps.
