Some Problems in New Zealand Fern Nomenclature

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 87, 1959, Page 195

Some Problems in New Zealand Fern Nomenclature By G. Brownlie [Received by the Editor, October 24, 1958.] Abstract Some problems in fern nomenclature are examined, and six names are removed from the list of New Zealand ferns, four are reduced to synonyms, and two name changes are given. During a period of study at the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew it was noted that the internationally recognized reference work on fern nomenclature, Christensen's “Index Filicum”, listed as New Zealand plants some names completely unfamiliar to workers in that country, and also included New Zealand in the distribution areas of others not known to occur there. The results of investigating these problems are given in the following paragraphs. The first section consists of six species wrongly ascribed to New Zealand. Angiopteris aurata de Vriese. Angiopteris aurata de Vriese and Hartog, Monog. des Marattiacées, 22, 1853. This is the only record of the genus Angiopteris for New Zealand and it has apparently been overlooked by Cheeseman. The type material at Kew consists of two sheets, each bearing the inscription in Hooker's handwriting, “Colenso, New Zealand”, but on one sheet this his been crossed out and “Society Is.” added, also in Hooker's writing. When the two sheets are matched the specimens can be seen to be two halves of the same frond, so that it is possible that Society Islands is the correct locality. It is obvious that there is some doubt as to the exact locality of the type material, and since no other reference to the genus being found in New Zealand is known, the distribution of Angiopteris aurata should not include this country. Hymenophyllum australe Willd. There has been confusion in New Zealand for some time as to the interpretation of this species. This was partially cleared up by Copeland (1937 and 1940) in which he separated out Hymenophyllum flexuosum, and retained both H. atrovirens and H. australe. The latter species is, however, based on Australian material, and a comparison of specimens from that country and from New Zealand, shows all the local material which has been identified as H. australe to be either H. flexuosum or H. atrovirens. H. flexuosum is very distinct in the markedly crisped wing on stipe and rachis, the crisping often extending to the frond divisions themselves, whereas the other two species have a plane wing. A photograph of the type of H australe kindly shown by the late Mr. A. H. G. Alston shows the large roughly deltoid frond of the Australian specimens, while all New Zealand material with a plane wing is smaller and has the linear form of H. atrovirens. It appears clear, therefore, that H. australe should be omitted from the New Zealand flora. Microlepia strigosa (Thbg.) Pr. Davallia pinkneyi Colenso Trans. N.Z. Inst. 29, 415, 1896. Microlepia pinkneyi (Col) C. Christensen Ind. Fil. 427, 1906. From Colenso's account this plant was obtained from bush near Dannevirke and subsequently grown in a private fernery. No further specimens were obtained as the area had been burnt over. Examination of the half of a fertile frond and barren ones sent to Kew by Colenso shows this plant to be similar in character of sori and distribution of hairs to Microlepia strigosa which has been grown in ferneries

for at least a century. It seems likely that the private grower had exotic as well as native ferns growing, and that there had been confusion as to the origin of this particular specimen. No other finding has since been reported, and it should be omitted from the list of New Zealand ferns. Lindsaea microphylla Sw. Christensen (1906) lists the distribution of this plant as Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia, but it is not included by Cheeseman or Dobbie as being native to New Zealand. The error may have arisen from a sheet in Hooker's herbarium collected by Travers and identified as Lindsaea microphylla Br. This specimen is, however, typical Lindsaea linearis Sw. Sphenomeris angustifolia (Bernh.) comb. nov. Adiantum clavatum Forst. Prod. 83, 1786 (non L. 1753). Lindsaea angustifolia Bernh. Schr. Ak. Erfurt, 14, 1802. Lindsaea scoparia Mett. Ann. sc. nat. iv, 15, 64, 1861. Davallia scoparia (Mett.) Hk. Hk. and Bak. Syn. Fil. 101, 1868. Microlepia scoparia (Mett.) Carr. in Seemann Fl. Vit. 1873. Davallia forsteri Carr. Bak. Syn. Fil. 470, 1874. Microlepia forsteri (Carr.) Armstr. Trans. N.Z. Inst. 13, 364, 1880. Schizoloma scoparium (Mett.) Kuhn in Festschrift zu 50 jähr. Jubil. d. kgl. Realschule zu Berlin, 1882. Odontosoria scoparia (Mett.) Diels Nat. Pfl. 1′, 215, 1899. Odontosoria angustifolia (Bernh.) C. Chr. Ind. Fil. 464, 1906. Sphenomeris scoparia (Mett.) Copel Univ Calif. Pub. Bot 14, 353, 1929. Stenoloma angustifolium (Bernh.) C. Chr. Ind. Fil. Suppl. III 173, 1934. Stenoloma scoparium (Mett.) C. Chr Ind. Fil. Suppl. III, 173, 1934. Oliver (1923) identified Davallia forsteri Carr. of Cheeseman's first edition with Davallia scoparia (Mett.) Hk. which is restricted to New Caledonia. With this the present author is in complete agreement. Oliver decided that the Forster specimens had probably been collected elsewhere in Polynesia, and that the species should be excluded from the New Zealand flora, a suggestion which was carried out in Cheeseman's second edition. He had, however, overlooked the publication of Bernhardi's Lindsaea angustifolia for Forster's Adiantum clavatum, a name predating that of Carruthers by seventy-two years. It also pre-dated the description of New Caledonian material as Lindsaea scoparia by Mettenius by about sixty years, and since the two are identical, this material must be also Lindsaea angustifolia. In accord with modern generic usage this now becomes Sphenomeris angustifolia. The type material is from an unknown locality, but probably from New Caledonia since Cook's second voyage touched there, and subsequent collections are known only from that island. Pyrrosia confluens (R. Br.) Ching. Christensen (1906) includes New Zealand in the distribution of this species. The only record found to support this is a sheet from Hooker's Herbarium with the inscription “Khassya, Griffith” crossed out and “N rupestris New Zealand” added. Although the specimen is Pyrrosia confluens there was obviously doubt as to the locality in which it was collected, and there is no further record from either India, as first suggested on the sheet, or from New Zealand. This species should, therefore, be excluded from New Zealand distribution. The second group is made up of names which can be reduced to synonyms of recognized New Zealand species. Blechnum penna-marina (Poir) Kuhn. Lomaria distans Col. Trans. N.Z. Inst. 28, 615, 1895. Blechnum hillii C. Chr. Ind. Fil. 155, 1906. An isotype of Colenso's species held at Kew appears to be nothing more than a form of Blechnum penna-marina with more distant pinnae than is usual. This

character is, however, not uncommon in specimens which have been growing in shade or in the protection of other plants such as tussock grasses. Blechnum lanceolatum (R.Br.) Sturm. Lomaria alternans Col. Trans. N.Z. Inst. 28, 616, 1895. Blechnum alternans (Col.) C. Chr. Ind. Fil. 150, 1906. This appears to be almost identical with Colenso's Lomaria aggregata already reduced to Blechnum lanceolatum by Cheeseman. A specimen at Kew is quite consistent in character with a small example of that species. Blechnum filiforme (A. Cunn.) Ettingsh. Lomariopsis hügelii Presl Epim. Bot. 263, 1849. Stenochlaena hügelii (Pr.) Fée Und. Bull Torrey Bot. Club 33, 46, 1906. The description by Presl. is based on a specimen collected in New Zealand by Hügel. Underwood in his revision of the genus united this with Lomariopsis sorbifolia var. resectum Christ. from North Queensland. Hügel's specimen on examination proved, however, to be typical Blechnum filiforme. Asplenium lucidum Forst. Asplenium d'urvillei Mett., Kuhn Linn. 36, 95, 1869. This was based on a plant collected in the Bay of Islands and now in Berlin. However, a photograph of Mettenius' sketch of the type kindly made available by the late Mr. A. H. G. Alston shows it to be Asplenium lucidum. The third group includes two species which have been incorrectly named in the most recent edition of Dobbie. Sphenomeris viridis (Col.) comb. nov. Lindsaea viridis Col. Tasm. J. Sci. 2, 174, 1846. Stenoloma viride (Col.) C. Chr. Ind. Fil. Suppl. III 174, 1934. It has been overlooked in New Zealand that this species had been transferred to Stenoloma by Christensen in 1934. Because of the uncertainty as to the type of this genus, and in accordance with modern usage, it is better to use the name Sphenomeris. Cyclosorus nymphalis (Forst.) Copel. Dryopteris parasitica of Cheeseman non (L.) Ktze. Cyclosorus dentatus of Dobbie non (Forsk.) Ching. Ching (1938) points out that Cyclosorus dentatus (Forsk.) Ching is based on a type from Arabia and is not found in the Polynesian region at all. The distinction between Dryopteris parasitica (L.) Ktze. (Cyclosorus parasiticus (L.) Farwell) and Cyclosorus nymphalis is given in Christensen (1943). The former has a long creeping rhizome and the latter has fascicled leaves, a condition found in New Zealand specimens. A Forster specimen at Kew inscribed “Polypodium nymphale” is actually from New Zealand. The local species should thus be known as Cyclosorus nymphalis. A list is appended of names published for New Zealand ferns either since the appearance of the last edition of Dobbie or omitted from that volume. New Name. Reference. Name in Dobbie. Schizaea Schizaea asperula Wakefield Vict. Nat. 59, 89, 1942 bifida Willd. Lindsaea Lindsaea trichomanoides Dry Kramer, Acta Bot. Neerlandica, 6, 146, 1957 cuneata (Forst.) C. Chr. Sphenomeris Lindsaea viridis (Col.) Brownlie See above viridis Col. Hypolepis Hypolepis rufobarbata (Col.) Wakefield Vict. Nat. 72, 159, 1956 rugosula (Lab.) J. Sm. (in part).

Lastreopsis Ctenitis velutina (A. Rich.) Tindale Vict. Nat. 73, 180, 1957 velutina (A. Rich.) Copel. Lastreopsis Ctenitis glabella (A. Cunn.) Tindale Vict. Nat. 73, 180, 1957 glabella (A. Cunn.) Copel. Lastreopsis Ctenitis microsora (Endl.) Tindale Vict. Nat. 73, 180, 1957 decomposita (R. Br.) Copel. Lastreopsis Rumohra hispida (Sw.) Tindale Vict. Nat. 73. 180, 1957 hispida (Sw.) Copel. Cyclosorus Cyclosorus nymphalis (Forst.) Copel. See above dentatus (Forst.) C. Chr. Blechnum Blechnum colensoi (Hook. f.) Wakefield Vict. Nat. 72, 159, 1956 patersoni (R. Br.) Mett. Phymatodes Microsorium diversifolium (Willd.) Pic. Ser. Webbia 8, 201, 1951 diversifolium (Willd.) Copel. Phymatodes Microsorium scandens (Forst. f.) Pr. Webbia, 8, 201, 1951 pustulatum (Forst. f.) Copel. Phymatodes Microsorium novae-zealandiae (Bak.) Pic. Ser. Webbia, 8, 201, 1951 novae-zealandiae (Bak.) Copel. Ctenopteris Ctenopteris heterophylla (Lab.) Tindale Am. Fern. J. 41, 97, 1951 grammitidis (R. Br.) J. Sm. Acknowledgments I wish particularly to thank Mr. F. Ballard of the Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, for his assistance with this work. My work was considerably aided by being able to examine photographs made by the late Mr. A. H. G. Alston, of the British Museum (Nat. Hist.), and I wish to record here my appreciation of this help. I wish also to thank the Directors of the following Herbaria for permission to examine material:—Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, British Museum (Nat. Hist.), Botany Division D.S.I.R., Dominion Museum, Otago Museum, Canterbury Museum and Natural History Museum, Stockholm. I am indebted to the Council of the University of Canterbury for the provision of the refresher leave during which this work was undertaken. References not Included in the Text Cheeseman, T. F., 1906. Manual of the New Zealand Flora, 1st ed. Wellington: Govt. Printer. — 1925. Manual of the New Zealand Flora, 2nd ed. Wellington: Govt. Printer. Ching, R. C., 1938. A revision of the Chinese and Sikkim-Himalayan Dryopteris with reference to the species from neighbouring regions. Bull. Fan. Inst. Biol. Bot. Ser. 8, 157. Christensen, C., 1943. A revision of the Pteridophyta of Samoa Bern. P. Bishop Mus. Bull. 177. Copeland, E. B., 1937. Hymenophyllum. Philipp. J. Sci. 64, 1. — 1940. Notes on Hymenophyllaceae. Philipp. J. Sci. 73, 457. Dobbie, H. B., 1951. New Zealand Ferns, 4th ed. Revised by Marguerite Crookes. Whitcombe & Tombs Ltd. Oliver, W.R.B., 1923. Notes on specimens of New Zealand ferns and flowering plants in London Herbaria. Trans. N.Z. Inst. 53, 362. G. Brownlie, Botany Department, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.