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Leptinella conjuncta is described as a new species from southern New Zealand. Leptinella conjuncta is morphologically most similar to the L. pectinata complex but is distinguished by leaves that are densely hairy, 6-10 mm long, and with the terminal pinna and 1-3 lateral pinnae conspicuously joined near their base, a peduncle that is shorter and more slender, a smaller capitulum, and fewer and shorter pistillate and staminate florets. It is currently known from only one locality in the Mackenzie Basin (southern Canterbury) and four sites in Central Otago. Each population comprises very few plants and the conservation status of L. conjuncta is assessed as Nationally Critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Holotype material of Myosotis hortensia Decne., the basionym of Myosotidium hortensium (Decne.) Baill. is located at P and the collection of this by J. B. cecille in 1838 from the chatham Islands, New Zealand, is described. For Cynoglossum nobile Hook.f., an illustration of a cultivated plant accompanying the description of the genus Myosotidium is designated as the neotype, as syntype material has not been located. Cynoglossum nobile is the basionym of Myosotidium nobile (Hook.f.) Hook.; this latter name is the type species of the genus Myosotidium Hook. and is treated as a synonym of Myosotidium hortensium. To be in agreement with the neuter gender of Myosotidium, the specific epithet is corrected to hortensium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New Zealand species of Geranium are shown to be closely related, forming a monophyletic group. Relationships inferred from Bayesian and NeighborNet analyses of internal and external transcribed spacer sequences generally agreed and were congruent with those inferred from study of morphological characters. Two groups of species (G. brevicaule and G. retrorsum groups) are well supported based on morphology and DNA sequence data. A third group, referred to as the G. microphyllum group, is recognised based on morphology but is only partially supported by the DNA sequence data. The DNA sequence and morphological variability in each of the G. brevicaule, G. microphyllum, and G. retrorsum groups support the recognition of additional taxonomic entities from New Zealand, but further study is required to address these issues. Furthermore, additional sampling of Australian and South American species of Geranium must be carried out before a taxonomic re-evaluation can be made of sections Andina and Chilensia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twelve additional records of indigenous vascular plants and 25 naturalised plant records are added to the flora of Stewart Island. The majority of the new naturalised plant records come from Halfmoon Bay. Observations on the distribution and abundance of Gunnera tinctoria on Stewart Island are given, as this species is considered to pose a significant threat to indigenous biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Olearia telmatica is described as a new species endemic to the two main islands of the Chatham island group, Chatham (Rekohu/Wharekauri) and Pitt (Rangiauria). Olearia telmatica is distinguished from the closely related O. traversiorum by its smaller growth habit, slender trunk, narrower leaves, earlier flowering, lemon-yellow and less hairy corolla, less branched inflorescence with fewer capitula, fulvous hairs on the inflorescence, readily dispersed seed, and abscising inflorescences. Olearia telmatica and O. traversiorum are further distinguished by Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism DNa data, as samples of both species collected from sites on Pitt island and Chatham island form two discrete groups in a principal co ordinates analysis. as with all other species of Olearia sect. Divaricaster, O. telmatica has a chromosome number of 2n = 108. Olearia traversiorum is the correct species epithet for plants previously known as O. traversii because the protologue for the species clearly and unambiguously states that the name commemorates both W. T. L. Travers (father) and H. H. Travers (son). a revised description is provided for O. traversiorum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardamine latior is described as a new species endemic to Auckland Island and Adams Island. It was previously included in a broad taxonomic concept of C. subcarnosa, a species now considered to be endemic to Campbell Island. Cardamine latior is distinguished from C. subcarnosa by vegetative and fruit characters, including having shorter leaves with more leaflets, leaflets that usually overlap, more prominent leaf margin hydathodes, short and compact inflorescences, distinctly erect and broader siliques with a wider replum, and the septum with a distinct central vein. Cardamine latior is most common at higher altitudes on mountaintop screes. a description is provided and lectotype selected for C. subcarnosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phylogenetic analysis of nrDNa ITS sequence data infers that New Zealand plants previously assigned to Hypericum japonicum are incorrectly placed in that species. Morphological and DNa sequence data support the recognition of two endemic and one indigenous species of Hypericum. Hypericum rubicundulum and H. minutiflorum are newly described species endemic to New Zealand, and the DNa data infer they are sister species. These two species are distinguished from H. pusillum by a rhizomatous growth habit and leaves that are grey-green to olive-green and usually ruddy. In comparison to H. rubicundulum, H. minutiflorum has a more compact growth habit, much smaller leaves and flowers, and is restricted to the central North Island. Hypericum rubicundulum occurs in inland parts of the South Island, and is known from one collection in the North Island. Hypericum pusillum Choisy is a reinstated name, based on a Tasmanian type, that is applied to prostrate or decumbent, green and sinuate-leaved plants from Tasmania and New Zealand. This is the most common species in New Zealand, occurring on North, South, and Stewart Islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the potential for hybridisation between species of Phormium by examining fruit and seed set following self, intraspecific, and interspecific hand pollinations among several genotypes, including representatives of P. tenax, P. cookianum subsp. cookianum, and P. cookianum subsp. hookeri. Plants from a putatively introgressed population of P. tenax and a number of plants of uncertain taxonomic affinity were also included. There was considerable variation in performance as paternal and maternal parent, both among genotypes and taxa. Results confirm that all taxa are able to cross and produce fruit with filled seed, and we found no convincing evidence for the presence of intrinsic crossing barriers among taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lobelia glaberrima is a newly described species from mountainous parts of the southern South Island of New Zealand. The morphology of L. glaberrima is most similar to L. macrodon, but it is distinguished from that species by a suite of mainly floral characters. These include L. glaberrima having narrower calyx lobes, a corolla with a shorter tube and smaller lobes, shorter stamens with smaller anthers, a smaller ovary with a shorter style, and a weakly pungent scent. Chloroplast DNA evidence indicates that L. glaberrima is most closely related to L. linnaeoides. However, it differs from that species by shorter peduncles, wider corolla lobes, and an indehiscent globose capsule. The chromosome number of L. glaberrima is 2n = 28, and this also distinguishes it from L. linnaeoides and L. macrodon (2n = 14). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Dianella haematica and D. latissima are new species described from northern New Zealand, being currently known from a number of mainland sites as well as offshore islands, including Great Barrier Island and Little Barrier Island. These two species are segregated from D. nigra and differ from that species by growth habit, leaf, and flower characters. D. haematica is distinguished from D. nigra by its very short rhizomes and densely caespitose habit, the leaves being longer, wider, and olive or dark green, the leaf sheaths usually flushed red-brown to red-maroon, the perianth patent to only slightly recurved, and the struma and style shorter. D. latissima is distinguished from D. nigra by its robust and larger growth habit, the leaves being longer, wider, harshly scabrid, and usually uniformly green, the leaf sheaths pale green to light yellow-green, and the struma oblong, Dianella haemalica is considered to be a threatened species, and using the New Zealand Threat Classification System has a conservation status of Chronically Threatened/Serious Decline. For D. latissima there is insufficient information to make a formal assessment and, therefore, we consider it to be Data Deficient, requiring further survey to determine its distribution, abundance, and threats. [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]

Field hybridisation experiments are described in which B. juncea, B. napus, and B. oleracea were crossed with B. napus (male), and B. napus was crossed with B. juncea (male). Five of the experiments used chlorsulfuron herbicide-resistant B. napus as the paternal parent, allowing over 98 000 seeds to be easily and efficiently screened for chlorsulfuron resistance to detect hybrid progeny. Two experiments used leaf morphological characters to identify putative hybrids. Intraspecific B. napus crosses produced low percentages (1.83% and 1.79%) of hybrid progeny. Brassica juncea x B. napus interspecific crosses produced on average 2.1% hybrids, and the B. napus x B. juncea cross produced 0.2% hybrids. No hybrids were detected by chlorsulfuron resistance in the B. oleracea x B. napus cross. Fecundity of the F1 hybrid plants in all of the crosses was low compared with their parents, with hybrids having less than 28% pollen stain-ability and producing less than 2.4 seeds per flower pollinated when selfed or backcrossed; most of the F1 hybrids studied produced less than one seed per flower pollinated. These results show that low levels of hybridisation and gene transfer between B. napus and some relatives could occur in New Zealand when grown in close proximity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growth habit, vegetative, floral characters, and molecular data support the recognition of Ranunculus haastii and R. piliferus at species rank, rather than as intraspecific taxa at the rank of subspecies. Therefore, R. piliferus is a new combination at species rank for plants previously known as R. haastii subsp. piliferus. R. acraeus is a new species distinguished from R. piliferus by its finely crenate leaf and bract margins, glabrous peduncle, and in having 6-7 sepals that are hairy on the abaxial surface and glabrous on the adaxial surface. R. piliferus occurs in northern Southland and South Otago and R. acraeus occurs in North Otago and South Canterbury. R. piliferus and R. acraeus grow in relatively stable alpine rock-fields that comprise rock fractured into large, coarse, and angular blocks of differing sizes and shapes. R. haastii occurs in Canterbury and Marlborough where it grows on mobile fine-grained scree in the alpine zone. Phylogenetic analyses of nrDNA ITS and cpDNA JSA sequence data provide support for the segregation of R. piliferus from R. haastii, and for the recognition of R. acraeus. R. piliferus forms a distinct genotype in both the ITS and JSA analyses. R. acraeus and one sample of R. haastii have a distinct JSA genotype, and R. acraeus and R. buchananii share a nine-base-pair indel. In the ITS analysis R. acraeus and most samples of R. grahamii share the same genotype, and along with R. haastii form a northern, alpine group of diverse genotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sequence data from three nuclear ribosomal and two chloroplast DNA markers were used to assess interspecific relationships in Pachycladon. Of the two chloroplast markers, the rbcL data show no parsimony-informative nucleotide differences, whereas the trnL-trnF has eight parsimony-informative nucleotides. The three nrDNA markers ITS, FRIGIDA, and gapC all had variable sites. For FRIGIDA we were able to sequence only five species and these have nine parsimony-informative sites. Sequencing of cloned ITS PCR products yielded several unique copies of ITS for most species, and 34 parsimony-informative nucleotides. The network of these ITS copies shows much sharing of ITS types within two groups of species, firstly P. cheesemanii/ P. exilis and secondly P. enysii/P. fastigiata/ P. stellata. In gapC two distinct sequence types (copy A and copy B) were cloned and these have 92.1% sequence similarity. The gapC-copy A and copy B sequence matrices contain three and four parsimony-informative characters, respectively. Previous studies of nrDNA ITS, morphological, and Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism data distinguished three groups of New Zealand Pachycladon. In this study, P. exilis/P. cheesemanii was the most frequently retrieved of these groups, occurring in the FRIGIDA, ITS, and trnL-trnF networks. A second group comprising P. enysii, P. fastigiata, P. latisiliqua, and P. stellata was only partially retrieved in the trnL-trnF, ITS, FRIGIDA, and gapC-copy B networks. A third group identified from previous studies of P. novae-zelandiae and P. wallii was not retrieved in any of the networks. Overall, the five networks are characterised by a star-like pattern of radiation with little structure in the internal branches. [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]

Sophora tomentosa, the type species of the genusSophora, is shown by phylogenetic analyses ofrbcL and ITS sequence data to be sister toSophorasect.Edwardsia.S. tomentosaand most of the species from sect.Edwardsiashare hypogeal germination, exstipulate leaves, and terete filaments. These species have buoyant seeds, and are distributed by ocean currents throughout the pantropics (S. tomentosa) and around southern temperate oceanic islands (sect.Edwardsia).S. tomentosadiffers from the species of sect.Edwardsiaby its frutescent growth habit, terminal elongate inflorescence and smooth-walled legume.S. macrocarpais unusual in sect.Edwardsiaas its leaves have stipules, the filaments are winged, and the legume is smooth-walled. © 2004 The Linnean Society of London,Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2004,146, 439–446. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]