Flora of New Zealand Series

Stems tufted, much branched, up to 6 dm. long, stout, rather rigid, erect or ascending; lvs crowded, ascending or spreading, lower up to 18 mm. long, lanceolate, subacute, midrib rather obscure; upper lvs smaller, more appressed. Strobili terminal, often branched, us. curved, ± tetragonous, up to 15 cm. long, us. shorter; sporophylls densely imbricate, c. 3 mm. long, keeled, subacute to acute, distinctly overtopping sporangia.

DIST.: N., S., St., Ch., A., C., Ant., M. Lowland to montane forest from 36º S. Usually terrestrial. Australia, Tasmania.

 Var. polaris T. Kirk in T.N.Z.I. 16, 1884, 376. Stems erect, up to 6 dm. tall, branched from near base; lower lvs spreading, upper appressed and imbricating. Strobili ± drooping, usually simple. Montane to lowland forest in N., S., St., A., C. Kirk distinguishes two sub-vars: (a) "leaves obtuse, imbricate, keeled"; (b) "leaves acute, slender, flat, spreading; spikes slightly foliaceous", with  var. umbrosum R. Br. Prodr. 1810, 165, as a synonym.

Var. gracile T. Kirk, loc. cit., 377. "Stems sparingly tufted, sub-erect, 6"-12" high, very slender, [leaves] crowded, spreading, linear, acute or obtuse. Spikes lax, simple or sparingly branched, scales foliaceous, linear, three or four times longer than the capsules". As described this has little to distinguish it from L. novae-zelandicum, but the name has subsequently been used to apply to any forms, whether regarded as belonging to varium or billardieri, with the sporophylls but little differentiated from the lvs.

Nessel (loc. cit. 192) distinguishes the following forms (under Urostachys):

1. U. varius (R. Br.) Herter in Engl. Bot. Jb. 1909, 36. Stem 20-30 cm. long; lateral branches often spreading; lvs 10-15 mm. long, lanceolate; strobili 5-10 cm. long.

2. U. varius var. polaris (Kirk) Herter. Stems 20-30 cm. long; lateral branches ||, of equal length; lvs 10 mm. long, ovate-elongate or bluntly lanceolate; strobili 3-4 cm. long.

3. U. Cockaynei (Benth.) Hert. Benth. et F. Muell. in Fl. Aust. 7, 1878, 674. Similar to var. umbrosus (R. Br.) Herter of Tasmania; regarded as a habitat modification. I find no such name in Flora Australiensis. The "Habitat" is given as: "Südalpen Neuseelands: zwischen stark bemoosten Steinen, 2800 m. 1893, coll. W. Richardson;--ebenda: coll. L. Cockayne 1903". It is unfortunate that Nessel uses the name U. cockaynei in two quite distinct senses (see p. 3).

Nessel (Fedde Repert. Spec. nov. Regn. veg. 36, 1934, 186) describes his U. helmii from "Insel Greymouth; fl. 1885 (Rich. Helm's Ex Herb. Wien! n. 682--Herb. Bonaparte!; Phil. Jos. Milligan n. 794, Ex. Herb. Dörfler--Herb. Bonaparte!; R. Harwich 1886--Herb Beukert!): Caulis primum ascendens vel pendulus, alt. 50 cm., luteo-brunneus, quater divergenter bipartitus, lat. 3 mm. sine foliis, 5-6 mm. cum foliis; ramis laxis, pendulis. Folia densa, flavivirentia, oblongi ovata, adpressa, 1·5 ad 2 × 10 mm.; caulis latens. Sporophylla passim in folia transeunt; stachys long. 18-20 cm., lat. 3 mm., cylindrica; sporangia lutea-brunnea."