Flora of New Zealand Series

Senecio kermadecensis Belcher loc. cit. 45.

"Perennis (?), caule herbaceo, solum versus apicem ramoso, dense foliaceo; foliis sessilibus late auriculatis, amplexicaulibus, vix constrictis super auriculas, ovato-lanceolatis, inaequaliter dentatis, acutis vel sub-obtusis, nonnihil scabris, subglabris, majoribus (infimis haud visis) 13 cm. longis, 4 cm. latis; inflorescentiis corymbosis; capitulis cylindricis, calyculatis; involucri squamis plerumque 6 (5-7), linearibus, glabris, 5 mm. longis; floribus paucis, numero squamis similibus, omnibus tenuiter filiformibus, apice vix dilatatis, 4-dentatis; staminibus 1-4 numero variante in floribus capituli singuli, omnibus polliniferis, ramis styli truncatis, papillis marginalibus divergentibus praeditis; achaeniis subcylindricis, 2 mm. longis, 10-costatis, subappresse puberulis inter costas; pappo niveo, subsetaceo, pluriseriato.

"Specimen typicum legit W. R. B. Oliver in insula prope Novam Zeelandicam 'Sunday Island' dicta in Archipelagine Kermadecensi. Endemica species. Specimen in herbario Kewensi."

Oliver (T.N.Z.I. 42, 1910, 173) recorded "Erechtites prenanthoides (A. Rich.), D.C. Gravel flat, inland cliffs and rocks, Sunday Island. New Zealand, Australia." He made no comment on any special characters of the Sunday Island population.

Of his S. kermadecensis  Belcher (loc. cit. 45) says: "It is remarkable in the genus for its unusual capitulum, with phyllaries 5 to 7, usually six, and the florets about equal in number. All florets appear to have styles and functional stamens, the number of stamens varying within the same capitulum from 4 to 1. The florets are nearly filiform, very little dilated apically, and 4-fid; the style-arm apices are truncate with a fringe of diverging papillae. . . . The achenes, although similar in size to those of S. minimus, resemble those of S. biserratus in being hairy between the ridges. The leaves, though resembling those of S. minimus in general shape, were much more broad and coarse than is typical for that species."

There is a sheet of specimens in W, collected by Oliver ("Shores of Blue Lake. Crater. Sunday Island. W. R. B. Oliver. 29 Oct. 1908" now labelled 3385). No further collections appear to have been made. The sheet has 2 pieces, in fl. These differ in some details from the description given by Belcher of the Kew specimens. Stems stout, rather strongly ribbed, ± scaberulous. Upper lvs (lower not represented) narrowed to winged toothed petiole ± 1 cm. long, then expanded into auriculate amplexicaul base; lamina obliquely oblanceolate to obovate-elliptic, finely scaberulous, 5-7 × 1·5-2 cm.; coarsely, rather distantly, irregularly sharply dentate. Lvs of infl.-branches similar, smaller, hardly petiolate to sessile; uppermost reduced to linear bracts. Infl. of ∞ axillary and terminal few-fld corymbs on branchlets up to 8 cm. long; peduncles and main pedicels very slender, up to 3 cm. long; ultimate pedicels filiform, 10-15 mm. long. Phyll. mostly 6 (rarely 5 or 7), linear-subulate, glab., hyaline-margined, 5-6-(10) mm. long. Florets filiform, 4-5-(6) mm. long, very slightly expanded at 4-toothed apex. Achenes cylindric, red-brown, c. 2 mm. long. 5-ribbed, with sparse fine stiff hairs between ribs. Pappus-hairs in c. 3 series, white, exceedingly slender, 4-6 mm. long.