Flora of New Zealand Series

U. nigra Col. in T.N.Z.I.  17,  1885,  253.

U. variegata Col. in T.N.Z.I.  20,  1888,  211.

U. australis Pers. var. ferruginea (Boott) C. B. Clarke in Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 1906, 802.

U. uncinata (Linn. f.) Kük. var ferruginea (Boott) Kük. in Pflanzenr. 38, 1909, 62.

Type locality: "Base of Ruahine Range". Type: K, Colenso 1646.

Caespitose. Culms (10)–20–60 cm. × c. 1 mm., glab.; basal bracts dull brown to reddish brown. Lvs 4–8 per culm, = or > culms, 3–5 mm.wide, scabrid on the margins. Spikes 7–16 cm. × 6–10 mm., us. bracteate, female fls c. 60–100, very closely crowded throughout almost the whole spike, internodes 0.5–4 mm. long. Glumes twice as long as utricles, deciduous, linear-subulate, acute or obtuse, coriac., yellowish or ferruginous. Utricles 4–5 × c. 1.5 mm., plano-convex or rarely subtrigonous, dark brown, shining, nerved towards the base with a more strongly marked lateral nerve, sharply contracted below to a stipe 1 mm. long and above to a stout beak 1.5–2 mm. long.

DIST.: N. Southwards from lat. 37º. S., St.

Local in forest from sea level to c. 1,200 m. altitude.

HYBRIDISM

As a "first approximation" Cockayne and Allan (Ann. Bot. 48, 1934, 14–15) listed 11 Uncinia hybrids. Hamlin recorded two hybrids in his taxonomic revision (a) U. × rubrovaginata Hamlin in Bull. Dom. Mus., Wellington 19, 1959, 24. Type: WELT, 2864, Mokai Patea, Ruahine Mountains, 1,150 m., Druce and Hamlin 569, 26/2/1956. Putative parents are U. rubra and U. fuscovaginata; the hybrid is apparently sterile. (b) U. filiformis × involuta. Hamlin in Bull. Dom. Mus., Wellington 19, 1959, 46. Two plants from Pouakai Range, Egmont, (WELT 4967, 4969) appeared to be hybrids and were growing in close proximity to the presumed parents. Some other putative hybrids have been collected by A. P. Druce; specimens of these and their putative parents are at CHR.

During early spring, 1967 and 1968, I made 50 artificial interspecific crosses (including three reciprocals) of which just over half set seed. All the intra-Series (cf. synopsis) crosses formed fully developed seed, but about half of the inter-Series crosses either failed completely or produced nuts lacking endosperm. However, crosses between Series Leptostachyae and Series Ripariae (which are morphologically fairly similar) were almost all successful. Because of germination difficulties only a dozen hybrid families have so far been raised.

FLORAL BIOLOGY

Spp. of Uncinia may be either protogynous or protandrous. Among spp. grown in cultivation U. affinis, angustifolia, banksii, distans, divaricata, laxiflora, rubra, rupestris, scabra and uncinata were protogynous, while U. astonii, caespitosa, egmontiana, leptostachya, nervosa, sinclairii and viridis were protandrous.

Two plants in cultivation, U. rubra, Little Mt Peel (CHR 177051) and U. gracilenta. Tararua Range, A. P. Druce, Sept. 1965 (CHR 177050) had most female fls aborted. In a wild population of U. rubra at Rose Hill, Methven, 2 plants with aborted female fls were found among 50 plants examined (CHR 177033).

U. nigra Col. was described from "skirts of low woods near Norsewood"; type: WELT, 24310, Colenso.

U. variegata Col. was described from "sides of streams in forests near Danneverke"; type: WELT; 24311, Colenso.

U. ferruginea is sts found together with U. uncinata or U. clavata but may be distinguished by the long, dark-coloured glumes.

INCERTAE SEDIS

There are no named specimens of the following in Colenso's herbarium at WELT: U. obtusata Col. in T.N.Z.I. 16, 1884, 341. U. polyneura Col. in T.N.Z.I. 19, 1887, 270.

U. rupestris Raoul var. flavescens Kük. in Bot. Zbl. 76, 1898, 211 was based on a specimen "New Zealand" Travers, and described as "Culmis paullo elatioribus; foliis erectis; squamis flavo-viridibus subacutis; utriculis squamas superantibus valde nervosis." This var. was later treated by Kükenthal (Pflanzenr. 38, 1909, 65) as a synonym of U. compacta var. clarkei (U. divaricata). No specimens have been seen.