Flora of New Zealand Series

Infl. below lvs, shortly stalked, much and densely branched, enclosed within 2 caducous, boat-shaped spathes of nearly equal size, the outer 2-winged; branches thick, divided several times, the ultimate divisions long and closely and deeply notched to accommodate sessile glomerules each of 2–3 fls subtended by a short bract. Fls unisexual, one ♀ between two ♂, or distally the ♀ aborting leaving two ♂ together. ♂ asymmetric, soon falling; sepals much narrower than obliquely ovate petals; stamens 6, filaments slender, inflexed at apex, anthers versatile; ovary narrow, ± columnar. ♀ smaller, globose-ovoid; sepals and petals broad; staminodes minute; ovary ovoid, 1-locular; stigmas terminal, recurved, ± persistent. Fr. symmetric, seated on chaffy per-remains; pericarp thin, fibrous within. Seed hard; hilum conspicuous, running from apical chalaza down to base. Trunk typically unbranched, not tapering, marked with lf-scars; conspicuous "crownshaft" formed by very large sheathing lf-bases; lvs in adult rather sharply ascending in "feather-duster" shape. Lvs regularly pinnate, without spines, axis clad in peltate scales, the pinnae subopp. and reduplicately inserted on axis (A-shaped in T.S.); each pinna long, narrow-lanceolate, acuminate, bearing peltate scales when young, midrib and us. one pair of lateral nerves prominent adaxially, margin not thickened; seedling lvs broad, 2-lobed. Three spp., one confined to N.Z. proper, one to Kermadec Is and one to Norfolk Id.

Eora O. F. Cook in J. Hered. 18, 1927, 409 was proposed on the false assumption that Rhopalostylis Wendl. et Drude was a later homonym of Rhopalostylis Klotzsch ex Baill. nom. nud. in Adansonia 5, 1864–65, 317; this latter name was intended only as a subdivision of Dalechampia (Euphorbiaceae) and was not validated by a description. For discussion see Franco in Bol. Soc. broteria 23, 1949, 174.

Fig. 18. RHOPALOSTYLIS. R. sapida : glomerule of three flower-buds, the two laterals male, the central one a younger female, × 3; female flower; male flower; seed with endocarp, × 2. R. cheesemanii : seed with endocarp, × 2. © All rights reserved. [Image: 4X29]