Thursday, 27 May 2021, 11:07 am
The recent find of myrtle rust on a mature hedge in
residential Christchurch marks a new southern point for the
likely establishment of the disease. Previous sightings in
this area have been on plants purchased in nurseries in
other regions and relocated to Christchurch.
Myrtle rust infection on
ramarama
David Havell, a technical adviser for the
Department of Conservation, came across the hedge of the
Lophomyrtus cultivar while he was out walking and
reported the infection on iNaturalist. He has been following
the trajectory of myrtle rust since it was first found in
New Zealand in 2017 and was involved in identifying the