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A revision of the New Zealand endemic Lepidium oleraceum and allied species is presented. Sixteen species are recognised, 10 of these are new. Te new species are segregated on the basis of morphological characters supported by molecular data obtained from three DNA markers (two rDNA and one cpDNA). One species, L. castellanum sp. nov., is endemic to the Kermadec Islands where it is sympatric with L. oleraceum. Te North Island of New Zealand supports four species, with two of them, L. amissum sp. nov. and L. obtusatum, now extinct. Te South Island supports six species, that, aside from L. banksii, L. fexicaule and L. oleraceum, are all confined to the south-eastern half of the island (L. aegrum sp. nov., L. crassum sp. nov. and L. juvencum sp. nov.). One of these, L. juvencum sp. nov., extends to Stewart Island. Te Chatham Islands support six species (L. fexicaule, L. oblitum sp. nov., L. oleraceum, L. oligodontum sp. nov., L. panniforme sp. nov., and L. rekohuense sp. nov.), one of which, L. oligodontum sp. nov., extends to the Antipodes Islands group. Te remote, subantarctic Bounty Islands group supports one endemic, L. seditiosum sp. nov., which is the only vascular plant to be recorded from there. Lepidium limenophylax sp. nov. is known from islands of the south-western side of Stewart Island/Rakiura, Te Snares and Auckland islands. Lepidium naufragorum, although not related to L. oleraceum and its allies, is also treated because populations with entire leaves are now known. Typification is undertaken for L. banksii, L. oleraceum, L. oleraceum var. acutidentatum, var. frondosum and var. serrulatum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Crassula hunua: and C. ruamahanga have been taxonomically controversial. Here their distinctiveness is assessed so that their taxonomic and conservation status can be clarified. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A taxonomic revision is presented for New Zealand plants previously included in Hypsela and Isotoma, with four species recognised. The new names and combinations formally made here are all placed in Lobelia. a single dispersal event from Australia to the South Island of New Zealand is inferred to have preceded a radiation into four New Zealand species. Importantly, the four New Zealand species differ from their Australian progenitors by the capsule that is now indehiscent due to loss of the apical valves. The first species to diverge from this lineage was L. ionantha (the new name for Hypsela rivalis), a mid-elevation species that occupies sites east of the alpine Fault. A new North Island endemic L. carens is distinguished from L. ionantha by its usually hairy stems, leaves, and flower parts, and smaller flowers that lack purple-violet markings. The two newly named South Island species that occur west of the alpine Fault evidently evolved from a common ancestral species that is inferred to have more narrow leaves, smaller flowers, and a reduced zone of adnation for the epipetalous stamens. One species, L. fatiscens, the name for a species previously identified as the Australian Isotoma fluviatilis, primarily occupies coastal sites, and only tetraploid plants with 2n = 28 are known. The other species, L. fugax, is a newly described upland species endemic to the ephemeral and shallow margins of cirque lakes within Kahurangi National Park in North-west Nelson. The diploid (2n = 14) L. fugax is like a diminutive version of L. fatiscens, which must have diverged from the common ancestral species before the chromosome doubling that occurred in the evolution of L. fatiscens. The conservation status of these endemic New Zealand species is evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South Island, New Zealand, endemics Lepidium sisymbrioides and L. solandri are accepted at species rank. L. solandri Kirk is reinstated and includes L. matau Petrie in synonymy, and L. kawarau is reduced to synonymy of L. sisymbrioides. Twenty-nine floral and vegetative morphological characters were measured and used for analyses of character variation and principal components analysis. Leaf characters proved to be the most useful in distinguishing between L. sisymbrioides and L. solandri, with 12 of the 15 leaf characters having significantly different means. Only 7 of the 14 floral characters included in the study have significantly different means. In comparison to L. solandri, L. sisymbrioides has longer and narrower terminal and primary pinnae and cauline leaves, more secondary pinnae and cauline leaf lobes, less hairy sepals and ovaries, narrower ovaries, and shorter filaments. L. sisymbrioides occurs on rock outcrops in the upper Manuherikia, Waitaki, and Kawarau river valleys. L. solandri grows mainly on alluvium and outwash gravels in semi-arid parts of inland Canterbury and Central Otago. DNA sequence data from ITS, ETS, and trnL-trnF markers were used to examine phylogenetic patterns in L. sisymbrioides and L. solandri, and the related species L. kirkii, L. naufragorum, and L. tenuicaule. There is substantial variation in these markers in L. sisymbrioides and L. solandri, and this is considered to be due to introgression from other species of Lepidium, such as L. kirkii and L. tenuicaule. Much of the variation in the ETS sequences occurs in samples of L. sisymbrioides and L. solandri from the Manuherikia River valley, and this can be attributed to geneflow with the sympatric L. kirkii. Lepidium sisymbrioides and L. solandri are considered to be "Acutely Threatened, Nationally Endangered" using the New Zealand threatened plant classification criteria. In this assessment both species are considered to be data poor. Further field survey for new populations is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pseudowintera insperata is described as the fourth species of the New Zealand endemic genus Pseudowintera. It is distinguished from the other three species of Pseudowintera by a combination of characters, including being a small tree with an upright growth habit, by the broadly obovate to broadly elliptic leaves that are glossy and without blemishes and blotches, having a conspicuous pale cream to yellow-green midvein, ciliate inflorescence bracts, an entire cupule, and black fruit. P insperata is known with certainty from only two extant populations in the vicinity of Whangarei, North Auckland, where it is a canopy emergent of the scrubby and windshorn forest that grows on skeletal soils and boulder fall at the base of volcanic rock tots. P insperata is known from less than 50 plants at the two extant populations and we recommend that it has a conservation status of Acutely Threatened/Nationally Critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oreomyrrhis basicola is described as a new species from southern New Zealand. O. basicola is segregated from the O. rigida complex by its grey-green to blue-grey leaves, fewer primary pinnae, and primary pinnae that are only occasionally further divided with secondary pinnae. It is known from two base-rich habitats: ultramafic substrates in northern Southland and limestone in northern Otago. These substrates have very high base saturations, but differ in that the exchange complex of limestone substrates is dominated by calcium and that of the ultramafics is dominated by magnesium. O. basicola is known from three subpopulations, each with small numbers of plants, and is, therefore, considered to be Nationally Endangered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]