Flora of New Zealand Series

Kirk's description is: "Leaves sometimes 3 in. long on longer petioles, crenate-lobed or pectinately pinnatifid."

DIST.: "less frequent [than the littoral forms] in inland swamps." Kirk does not indicate a type; I have not found specimens given the above epithet by him.

POLYMORPHY─PLASTICITY─HYBRIDISM

Most spp. are plastic, showing a considerable range in size, lamina development, lobing and toothing. There is also evidence, not sufficiently studied, that some spp. are genetically polymorphic. Cockayne and Allan (Ann. Bot., Lond. 48, 1934, 47) list, without comment, the groups: dioica × pulchella, lanata × plumosa, obscura × pulchella, pectinata × sericea, pulchella × traillii. All need confirmation; the plants are easily cultivated.

The inland forms of C. dioica are polymorphic and need detailed study. A form from Porter's Pass (BD 87836, G. Simpson, in wet places, 26/12/49) shows wiry ± pilose stems; lvs us. clustered at nodes; petioles very slender, ± pilose, up to c. 15 mm. long; lamina narrowly obovate-spathulate in outline, up to 4 × 1 cm.; terminal lobe again rather deeply lobed, followed by subopp. pairs of pinnae diminishing in size to minute teeth; larger pinnae crenately toothed on upper margin. Scapes up to c. 6 cm. long, slender, clad in spreading hairs. Capitula (not fully developed) up to c. 1 cm. diam. Cultivated plants may have lvs up to 9 × 1∙5 cm. including petiole.

INCERTAE SEDIS

Simpson (T.R.S.N.Z. 79, 1952, 434) describes his C. monticola thus: "Stems 5-12 cm. long, creeping and rooting openly, 1mm. diam., silky pubescent. Leaves dark-green, brownish at the base, alternate, obovate in outline, 1-2∙5 cm. long, 3-5 mm. broad, thinly pubescent, somewhat fleshy, pitted, pinnatisect, the petiole as long as the blade, with 5 distinct dark nerves. Segments in 2-4 pairs and a terminal one, flat, entire. Peduncles 1∙5-4 cm. long, pubescent, with a single linear bract. Heads 5 mm. diam.; involucral bracts in 2-3 series, oblong, obtuse, purple and scarious at the tips, pubescent with a dark conspicuous centre nerve. Ray florets in 1-2 series, compressed, with 4 blunt lobes; disc florets faintly purplish, funnel shaped, with 4 triangular lobes. Receptacle slightly convex. Achenes obovoid, compressed. Habitat: Rock ledges. Type from a plant in cultivation collected at the Upper Routeburn Valley at 850 m. altitude . . . The species occurs also in the mountains at the head of the Estuary Burn, Lake Wanaka. It closely resembles C. pyrethrifolia, but differs in the flat leaves, the bisexual heads and in the achenes."

The type (BD 75701, Upper Routeburn Valley, Lake Wakatipu. Rock ledges. Dec. 14, 1949) is not strikingly different from C. willcoxii, and the status needs further study.