11009-44005 Chatham Islands Sow-thistle (Sonchus grandifolia) flowering plants growing in sand dunes. This giant endemic thistle can reach over 1.5m in height, with leaves a metre long. Superficially resembling puha, it has its own species of 'rust' - Embergeria Rust (Puccinia embergeriae) which is one of the rarest fungi in the world. Kaingaroa Dunes, Chatham Islands *
DSC_0632 Chatham Islands Sow-thistle (Sonchus grandifolia) flowerheads. This giant endemic thistle can reach over 1.5m in height, with leaves a metre long. Superficially resembling puha, it has its own species of 'rust' - Embergeria Rust (Puccinia embergeriae) which is one of the rarest fungi in the world. Kaingaroa Dunes, Chatham Islands *
DSC_7658 Chatham Islands Sow-thistle (Sonchus grandifolia) flowerhead. This giant endemic thistle can reach over 1.5m in height, with leaves a metre long. Superficially resembling puha, it has its own species of 'rust' - Embergeria Rust (Puccinia embergeriae) which is one of the rarest fungi in the world. Kaingaroa Dunes, Chatham Islands *
