The Korikori. - Ranunculus insignis. Plate 4. From the book: The art album of New Zealand flora : being a systematic and popular description of the native flowering plants of New Zealand and the adjacent islands : volume 1;, 1889, Gisborne, by Sarah Featon, Bock & Cousins. Te Papa (RB001317/004a)
Sarah's illustrations include korikori (Ranunculus insignis), a native alpine buttercup with bright yellow flowers. Korikori grows in subalpine and alpine environments, with records extending into parts of Canterbury. Its conspicuous flowers are suited to insect visitation, but we do not have enough species-specific evidence to say which animals are its main effective pollinators or how dependent it is on them. Following fertilisation, it produces clusters of small, dry, one-seeded fruits called achenes. This is another reminder that identifying a flower is often much easier than identifying every animal involved in its reproduction.