Flora of New Zealand Series

Hemitelia smithii Hook. Synopsis Fil. 1865, 31.

Caudex up to 8 m. tall or more and 30 cm. diam., sts forked, invested above with persistent pend. withered fronds, widened towards base by mass of rootlets. Stipes rather slender, 15-30 cm. long, asperulous, dark, grooved, densely clad at base in chestnut to pale brown subulate-attenuate paleae, c. 3 cm. long. Rhachis stout, pale yellowish green, finely muricate, ± paleate; at first densely clad in reddish hairs, later glabrate. Lamina 1-2 m. or more long, membr., soft, bright green above, paler below, 2-3-pinnate, oblong-lanceolate, acute to acuminate. Primary pinnae 15-40 × 5-10 cm., lanceolate-oblong, acute to acuminate, with strigillose costae. Secondary pinnae 3-6 cm. long, crenate-serrate, narrow-oblong, acute, subfalcate. Sori c. 1 mm. diam., cop., indusium hemispherical to nearly cup-shaped, on costal side of sorus.

DIST.: N., S., St., A. Lowland to montane forests from lat. 35º southwards. Endemic.

Hemitelia (Amphicosmia) stellulata Col. in T.N.Z.I. 18, 1886, 222, was based on specimens collected on "Edges of forests, banks of streams in the Seventy-mile Bush, between Norsewood and Danneverke, County of Waipawa; 1882-5: W.C." The description includes: "Fronds . . . drooping, bipinnate, broadly lanceolate, not acuminate . . . sub-coriaceous but softish . . . under-surface . . . finely stippled with white dots . . . pinnae rather close set and overlapping . . . stipe stout, very short . . . scales 13/4 inches long, sub-ovate-acuminate with long filiform tips . . . margins erose . . . rhachis. secondary rhachises, and costae densely covered above with reddish and yellowish strigillose hairs, and below with scattered long scarious reddish scales; under them is a peculiar short dark red starry patent sessile pubescence . . . Sori . . . rather large, obtusely conical . . . involucre a shallow membranous, whitish, and spreading cup, with even margin . . . " The type in W (Norsewood 1884), is a portion of a rhachis with 8 pinnae. Rhachis very stout, c. 6 mm. diam., sparsely muricate; pinnae oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, 14-17 cm. long; pinnules up to 3 cm. long, subcoriac. The stellate hairs are rather sparse; very few white spots visible. The sp. can hardly be dismissed as an absolute synonym of H. smithii.

H. microphylla Col. in T.N.Z.I. 27, 1895, 399, is accepted by Cheeseman (Man. N.Z. Fl. 1906, 951) as a var. of H. smithii. Domin Pterid. 1929, 264, restores it to specific rank as C. novae-zelandiae Domin (H. microphylla Col.non Cyathea microphylla Meth. 1856). Colenso's description includes: "Fronds . . . grass-green above, pale-green below, softish . . . Pinnae linear-oblong, tip very acuminate . . . segments linear-oblong, entire, sometimes slightly crenulate, sub-serrate-crenate at tip . . . Involucre rather large, concave, three-fourths round sorus . . . Receptacle pilose . . . Scales very numerous and of different sizes, narrow, subulate; of stipe 1 in., of frond 2-3 lines long, brown, with many dark (black) veins . . ." The type in W consists of four incomplete pinnae c. 20 cm. long: secondary pinnae up to 3·5 × 1 cm., pinnules hardly attaining 5 mm. in length, falcate to subfalcate, entire to very slightly crenulate; paleae very few. Probably worthy of varietal status, but needs fresh investigation.