Art. XXXXIX.—On New Forms of Celmisia, Cass.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 27, 1894, Page 327

Art. XXXXIX.—On New Forms of Celmisia, Cass. By T. Kirk, F.L.S. [Read before the Nelson Philosophical Society, 10th December, 1894.] Celmisia macmahoni, n.s. A small tufted species densely clothed with white silky hairs. Leaves crowded, forming a dense rosette, 1in.—1 ½in. long, ¼in. broad, including the short petiole, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, acute or subacute, thick, 5–7-nerved below. Scapes 3in.—5in. long, bracts numerous, linear-obtuse. Heads ¾in.—1in. in diameter; involucral bracts very numerous; outer acute, villous; inner acuminate, more or less clothed with short brown hairs: rays broad: achenes hispid: pappus very unequal. Hab. South Island: Mount Stokes, 3,000ft. P. A. Macmahon! A charming species, most nearly related to C. incana, Hook, f., but easily recognized by the long silky tomentum, which offers a strong contrast to the cottony tomentum of

that variable plant: it further differs in the short broad petiole, which rarely exceeds ¼in., and is nearly flat, brown above, but silky below, the leaves being much broader at their base; and in the crowded scapigerous bracts, which are clothed with very long silky tomentum. C. hieracifolia, Hook. f., var. oblonga. Leaves linear-oblong, obtuse, 1 ½in.—2 ½in. long, ¼in.—⅓in. broad, clothed beneath with compact yellow tomentum, margins entire or crenate. Scapes 2in.—3in. high, slender, bracts acute, spreading, clothed with fulvous tomentum. Heads much smaller than in the type. Hab. South Island: Mount Stokes. P. A. Macmahon! A smaller and less robust plant than the typical form, with much narrower leaves, and sometimes densely tufted. In the type the leaves are often broadly-ovate. C. hieracifolia is a remarkably local species, which until the discovery of this form on Mount Stokes was supposed to be restricted to one or two localities in the Provincial District of Nelson; so that the extension of its range is of considerable interest. C. parva, n.s. A small densely-tufted species. Leaves, including the petiole, 1in.—1 ½in. long; petiole broad, membranous, tomentose; blade linear-lanceolate, acute, scarcely denticulate, rigid but scarcely coriaceous, white, with appressed tomentum below; margins sometimes revolute; midrib obvious beneath. Scape 1 ½in.—3in. high, extremely slender, naked, or with 2–4 narrow-linear bracts, with dilated bases. Head small, involucral bracts numerous, narrow-linear, acute, outermost chaffy, sparingly pilose, with distinct midrib: rays narrow: achenes hispid. Hab. South Island: Heaphy River. J. Dall! A curious little plant, scarcely larger than the common daisy, and nearly related to C. spectabilis. Hook. f. C. longifolia, Cass, var. alpina. Much branched from the rootstock, branches very short. Leaves 1in.—1 ½in. long, 1 2/0in. wide; petioles with a few scattered hairs, blade narrow-linear, margins clothed with white tomentum beneath slightly recurved, midrib prominent beneath. Scapes 2in.—2 ½in. high, strict, with several almost filiform bracts. Head less than ¾in. across. Involucral bracts linear-acuminate. Achenes glabrous. Hab. South Island: In mountain-swamps, Mount Arthur, W. H. Bryant! Amuri, T.K. Canterbury, Arthur's Pass, & c., T.K.

C. adamsii, n.s. Leaves 5in.—12in. long, including the petiole, ½in.—¾in. broad, membranous but firm, narrow oblong – lanceolate, sparingly denticulate, nearly glabrous above, white with loose tomentum beneath, midrib prominent beneath; petiole ¼in.—⅓in. the length of the blades, cottony, grooved. Scapes 6in.—15in. long, slender, often flexuous, more or less clothed with loose tomentum; bracts few, short, acute. Heads 1in.—1 ½in. across. Achene glabrous. Hab. North Island: Kaueranga Greek; T. K. Whakairi, 2,000ft.; J. Adams and T. F. Cheeseman. Castle Rock, Coromandel.; T. F. Cheeseman. In April, 1869, I collected this plant in small quantity far up the Kaueranga Creek, but owing to the advanced period of the season the specimens were in such poor condition that the plant could only be recorded in my account of the botany of the Thames Goldfield as Celmisia sp.* Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. ii. (1869), p. 97. In 1882 Mr. Adams discovered the plant on Whakairi;† Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xvi. (1883), p. 386, and vol. xvii., p. 378. higher up the creek, when I attached the specific name under which it is now described. Still more recently it was found by Mr. T. F. Cheeseman at Whakairi and Castle Rock, Coromandel, and I am indebted to his goodness for excellent specimens. It is a very distinct species, allied to C. graminifolia, Hook. f., and C. monroi, Hook. f., with leaves intermediate between C. densiflora, Hook. f., and C. discolor, Hook. f., but more membranous than either. It bears exactly the same relationship to C. longifolia that C. chapmanii bears to C. vernicosa. C. rutlandii, n.s. Leaves with the grooved petioles 5in.—9in. long, 1in.—2 ½in. broad; petioles shorter than the blade, broad, clothed with snow-white tomentum, blade broadly ovate-lanceolate, acute or slightly acuminate, silvery beneath, margins entire or denticulate, midrib and lateral nerves obvious. Scapes erect, 6in.—10in. high, hoary, bracts numerous, linear-acuminate, purplish. Heads 1in.—1 ½in. across; involucral bracts narrow, linear-acuminate, the outer cottony; rays many; achenes silky; pappus brown. Hab. South Island: Mount Stokes. P. A. Macmahon! A handsome species, allied to C. petiolata, Hook, f., from which it differs in the white tomentum of the short petiole, the acute broad leaves with their silvery undersurface, and the more numerous and chaffy involucral bracts.

I take this opportunity of acknowledging my indebtedness to Mr. Rutland, whose name is attached to this handsome plant, for his ready and continuous assistance in elaborating the botany of portions of the Nelson and Marlborough Districts.