Flora of New Zealand Series

O. elongatum R. Cunn. in A. Cunn. loc. cit.

"Rhizome short, cylindrical; roots long, fleshy. Fronds 1-2 from the rhizome, rarely more. Petiole above the ground; . . . total length of frond . . . 4-12 in. Sterile lamina . . . 3/4-3 in. long, 1/2-1 in. broad, ovate or ovate-lanceolate or ovate-rhomboid . . . truncate or broadly cuneate at the base, never cordate, rather fleshy, venation reticulated. Fertile spike 3/4-11/2 in. long . . . Sporangia . . . 15-40 in each row.

DIST.: "North and South Islands, Chatham Islands: From the North Cape to Foveaux Strait, plentiful in moist grassy places, by the margins of swamps, etc. Sea-level to 2,000 ft."

In "New Zealand Ferns", Dobbie and Crookes, Fourth Edition (Preface dated 1951) on p. 8 the key reads:

"Rhizome slender, leaf up to two inches long, fertile segment not more than three quarters of an inch O. coriaceum

"Rhizome stouter, leaf up to two-and-a-half inches, fertile spike up to one-and-a-half inches long O. pedunculosum."

On p. 10 it is remarked: "Both New Zealand species are disconcertingly variable."

We have, then, in N.Z. a wide range of unresolved forms of uncertain status. No definite correlations have been established between vegetative, sporangial and spore characters. The rhizome may be very slender to rather stout; "petiole" 5-40 mm. long; lamina of sterile seg. 5-55 mm. long, 2-30 mm. wide, narrow-elliptic to lanceolate to ovate or rhomboid, short- or long-cuneate at the base to truncate or subcordate, apex subacute to broadly rounded; texture thin to coriac.; venation distinct to obscure; costa prominent to obsolete. The "stalk" of the fertile seg. ranges from 10-70 mm. long, the "spike" from 4-20 mm. long; sporangia pairs 5-40.

The influence of the habitat has not been studied- Ophioglossum may be found in light forest, grasslands, open ground, swampy and boggy ground. Comparison with extra-N.Z. forms has been casual.

Mr W. F. Harris (Botany Division, Dept. of Scientific and Industrial Research) has kindly provided the following key, based on the spore-characters of N.Z. material.

"Key to Species

"Spores tetrahedral, subtriangular to globose:

Exine pitted-reticulate distally, sparse and scattered pits on proximal surface, average equatorial diameter 35µ O. coriaceum type.

Exine pitted distally, pattern reduced proximally, average equatorial diameter 58µ O. pedunculosum type.

Exine reticulate distally, anastomosing ridges forming an open, angular reticulum, average equatorial diameter 35µ O. vulgatum type."

"A Chatham Island specimen yielded exactly similar spores [to those of O. vulgatum from Italy and England]."

The separation of the spp. by spore-type cannot be satisfactorily correlated with the separation on lf-size.