Flora of New Zealand Series

Hooker (Fl. N.Z. 1, 1853, 89) described his A. intermedia thus: "A much smaller plant than the former [A. lyallii], 8-10 inches high, but similar in all other respects, except in the less divided leaves and less cut pinnules. Leaves 5-8 inches long, including the long jointed petiole, recurved, 11/2 inch broad across the pinnae, which are in four to eight pair, broadly ovate in outline, with a jointed secondary petiole; pinnules obovate or cuneate, 1/3 inch long, sessile, deeply cut and lobed. Fruiting stem as thick as a crow-quill, several times divided, with a broad sheathing leaf at the fork, which bears a small, much reduced lamina. Umbels 11/2 inch across. Involucral leaves linear, shorter than the primary branches, which are 1/2 inch long. Fruit narrow, ⅓ inch long, crowned with the long diverging styles. Carpels both fertile; one five-, the other four-winged; both having as many stout vittae in the pericarp, and strong grooves in the seed, as there are spaces between the wings.- This is intermediate between A. lyallii and A. aromatica." Type locality: Preservation Inlet. Type: K, Lyall.

Small plants reasonably answering Hooker's description occur freely in Preservation Inlet, but I was unable to form a firm opinion as to their status, except that they were clearly differentiated from A. lyallii; some of the complexity may be due to hybridism. I describe a few individual plants at present placed under the all-embracing name A. intermedia.

(a) BD 76198 Cavern Head, Preservation Inlet, coastal rock. Stout, c. 2 dm. tall; stock c. 1·5cm. diam. Lvs on grooved petioles 3-5cm. long including broad sheath 2-4cm. long, shortly and bluntly ligulate. Lamina up to ± 16 × 5 cm., with 6-8 pairs of us. overlapping pinnae. Primary pinnae subcoriac., ± 3 × 2.5 cm., with short petiolule, ± deltoid in outline. Secondary pinnae 2-3 pairs, up to 2 × 1 cm., cuneately narrowed to very short petiolule or subsessile. Lobes up to 10 × 3-4 mm., about oblong; teeth few to several, obtuse to subacute, sts minutely apiculate. Stem stout, grooved, c. 12 cm. long to first branch: bracts foliaceous, with sheaths up to 3 cm. long, abruptly narrowed to lamina up to 2 cm. long. Branches 2; umbels compound, up to 5 cm. diam. Primary rays stout, grooved, unequal, up to 15 mm. Long; involucral bracts linear-lanceolate, acute, up to c. 15 mm. long. Secondary rays very short: involucral bracts similar, smaller. Fr. c. 4 mm. long, deeply grooved, styles slender, spreading, c. 1 mm. long.

Similar forms are not uncommon in the area, but it is not certain whether they are reduced habitat-modifications of larger forms also in the area.

(b) W, 1140, Kirk Herb., "1017 to Kew". Type of Ligusticum intermedium var. oblongifolium Kirk. "Inland base of the Ruggedy Range, Stewart Island. T. Kirk. Dec. 20, 1883," Kirk (Stud. Fl. 1899, 201) says: "Leaves linear-oblong, 2 in. broad, 3-pinnate; segments narrow-linear, crowded, subacute. Umbels very numerous, almost corymbose." Stems, including infl., c. 4 dm. long, very stout, grooved. Lvs on very stout grooved petioles up to c. 2 dm. long, including broad sheath up to c. 12 cm. long with distinct blunt ligule. Lamina ± 12-15 × 6-7 cm.; primary pinnae 6-8 pairs, distant but overlapping, shortly petioluled, up to c. 3 × 2.5 cm. Secondary pinnae up to 4 pairs, deeply cut into narrow-oblong, subacute to obtuse segs ± 10 × 2 mm. Bracts foliaceous, with sheaths up to 5 cm. long, lamina up to c. 5 cm. long. Umbels 7, up to 5 cm. diam., crowded on stout erect or ascending grooved peduncles up to 11 cm. long. Primary rays ± 20, rather slender, unequal, up to c. 1 cm. long; involucral bracts linear-lanceolate, c. 1 cm. long. Secondary rays short; involucral bracts similar, shorter.

(c) W, 1139 Kirk Herb., "1019 to Kew. Ligusticum 'lyallii' Hook. f. A mere form of L. intermedium Hook. f. North Head of Martin's Bay. T. Kirk. Jan. 22, 1884," Lvs on stout grooved petioles up to c. 3 dm. long including sheath c. 8 cm. long tapering to apex, not or obscurely liguled. Lamina c. 4 dm. × 10 cm. Primary pinnae distant, up to 12 pairs, subcoriac., up to 10 × 6 cm., ovate-oblong to deltoid, on petiolules up to c. 1 cm. long. Secondary pinnae up to 4 pairs, up to 5 × 3 cm., distant but overlapping, on short petiolules. Tertiary pinnae very shortly petioluled to subsessile, up to c. 4 × 2 cm.; again pinnately divided into lobed segs up to c. 2 cm. long; lobes up to 1 cm. long, oblong to ovate-oblong, acute with acicular tip.

Similar forms occur in the northern sounds of Fiordland. I have not seen flowering of fruiting specimens, but the group is amply distinct from A. lyallii sensu Hooker.

(d) W, 2705, Kirk Herb., "South Head of Catlins River. T. Kirk, Feb.4, 1885." Very robust, apparently tall plant; stems up to c. 2 cm. diam. Petioles up to c. 4 dm. long, very stout, grooved, with sheaths up to c. 10 cm. long; lamina ± 20 × 8 cm., subcoriac., with distant pinnae. Primary pinnae ± 8-10 pairs, up to c. 10 × 6 cm. including stout petiolule c. 2 cm. long. Secondary pinnae ± 4 pairs, shortly petioluled; lamina up to 4 × 3 cm., about deltoid. Tertiary pinnae or lobes up to c. 15 × 6 mm., ± cuneately narrowed to base; coarsely, mostly obtusely, toothed. Bracts with broad sheaths up to c. 4 cm. long: lamina up to c. 5 cm. long. Infl.-branches apparently, many, very stout, grooved, up to c. 17 cm. long, Umbels compound, up to c. 8 cm. diam. Primary rays ± 20, stout, up to c. 4 cm. long; involucral bracts few, narrow-lanceolate, acuminate, ± 15 mm. long. Secondary rays short, involucral bracts similar, shorter. Fr. 7-8 × 3-4 mm.; ribs prominent, winged; styles slender, diverging.

There appears to be a wide range of forms in the Catlins area.

(e) W, 2706, Herb. Cockayne, "Upper strand at Preservation Inlet, Fiord. bot. dist. Coll. L.C." Very stout, ± 7 dm. tall, stock 3 cm. diam. Lvs on grooved petioles up to 2 dm. long, including broad sheath up to 8 cm. long; ligule short or absent. Lamina up to 25 × 10 cm.; pinnae ± 8-10 pairs, upper overlapping. Primary pinnae up to 5 × 3 cm., 3-4 pairs, shortly petioluled. Secondary pinnae sessile or subsessile, up to c. 2 × 1·5 cm., cuneately narrowed to base, coarsely lobed and toothed; teeth obtuse to subacute. Stem-lvs similar, smaller. Umbels subcorymbosely arranged, up to c. 7 cm. diam., on very stout peduncles up to c. 10 cm. long; bracts narrow-oblong, up to c. 3 cm. long. Primary rays ± 20, stout, subequal, up to c. 3 cm. long; involucral bracts linear, few. Secondary rays ± 15, c. 5 mm. long; involucral bracts few, linear. Fr.6-7 mm. long; mericarps strongly ribbed and winged.

Attributed to A. intermedia by Cockayne, and showing about the extreme range from typical A. intermedia Hook. f.

Fig. 20. ANISOTOME INTERMEDIA COMPLEX AND A. LYALLII. Examples of forms of pinnae. A. lyallii : A, Stewart Id. A. intermedia complex: B, Stewart Id; C, Nuggets; D, Chalky Inlet; E, Solander Id; F, Catlins River mouth; G, Preservation Inlet; H, Martin*apos*s Bay; I, Catlins River; J, Milford Sound. © All rights reserved. [Image: 4X13]