Flora of New Zealand Series

Ligusticum brevistyle Hook . f. Handbk N.Z. Fl. 1864, 95.

Type locality: "Otago, lake district". Type: K, Hector and Buchanan, 1863.

Rather stout; stems stiff, striate, up to ± 4 dm. long; stock stout. Lvs 2-3-pinnate, on petioles up to ± 15 cm. long; sheath 2-3 cm. long narrowed to apex; ligule 0 or obscure. Lamina (10)-15-20-(30) × 5-10-(15) cm.; narrow-oblong in outline. Primary pinnae 6-10 pairs. 4-7 × 3-5 cm.; secondary ± 2 × 1·5-2 cm.; tertiary pinnae or segs narrow-linear to filiform, (0·5)-1-2-(3) cm., rather distant, acicular. Umbels compound, us. several paniculately arranged. Primary rays unequal, slender, up to c. 3 cm. long; involucral bracts several, linear, acuminate, ± 5-10 mm. long. Secondary rays very short, ± = involucral bracts; umbellules ± 5 mm. diam. Fr. 3-4 mm. long; styles not >1 mm. long; mericarps with 5 narrow wings.

DIST.: S. Montane grassland and rocky places from lat. 44º southwards, east of divide.

FL. 11-2. FT. 12-3.

INCERTAE SEDIS

When Cheeseman (T.N.Z.I. 51, 1919, 92) described his Ligusticum petraeum he had before him specimens from Mount Owen, Broken River. Takitimu Mountains. All appear to be conspecific. Sheet 6641 in A ("Mount Owen, Nelson, 4500 ft. Jan. 1882. T.F.C.") is selected as containing the type material (10 small plants in fl. and immature fr.). In transferring the sp. to Anisotome (Man N.Z. Fl. 1925, 679) Cheeseman repeated his original account. which includes "Fruit linear-oblong, ⅛ in. long, not seen quite ripe." He remarks: "This has much of the habit and appearance of Angelica decipiens, and the two are easily confounded in the absence of fruit."

Hooker (Handbk N.Z. Fl. 1864, 98) describes his Angelica decipiens as having "Fruit ovate-oblong, 1/10 in. long, rounded or cordate at the base, lateral wings coriaceous." Otherwise his account hardly differs from that of Cheeseman for A. petraea, except that the measurements given are slightly larger. The frs of the type specimens of A. petraea and the other specimens seen by Cheeseman are immature, c. 1·5-2 × 1 mm.; lateral ribs well-developed, more prominent than the rest; styles c. 2 mm. long. I cannot find any clear-cut differences between A. petraea and Angelica decipiens. In the A. petraea folders at W there is a mixture of Anisotome aromatica and Angelica decipiens. Further work on living material is much needed. A specimen, e.g., in W, labelled Anisotome petraea ("424, foot of limestone bluffs, Takahe Valley, C. Fleming, Jan.-Feb. 1950") has very deeply subpinnately dissected lvs and frs with conspicuous thin lateral wings.

Ligusticum ovatum Wolff in Fedde Repert., Spec. nov. Regn. veg. 9, 1911, 421 is described as: "Planta hermaphrodita erecta sub fructu maturo, usque 20 cm. alta, glabra. Radix . . .; caules validi 1 vel 2, teretes, striolati, late fistulosi, simplices, remotissime foliosi. Folia basalia subnumerosa, rosulata, erecta, petiolo plano, laminam aequante vel usque duplo longiore, 10-15 cm. longo, ad basim subsubito in vaginam late membranaceum 3-4 cm. longam, ad 10 mm. latam expanso fulta; lamina simpliciter 5-8-jugo-pinnata, pinnis 21/2-1-1/2 cm. inter sese distantibus, imis late cuneato-ovatis, apice obtusis, haud raro obsolete lobatis, usque 3 cm. longis, 2cm. latis. 5-3 mm. longe petiolulatis, ceteris sessilibus vel ut in petiolulum angustatis, angustioribus, basiobliquis, apice acuminatis, summis ± 1 cm. longis, ± 1/2 cm. latis, omnibus utrinque graciliter reticulato-venosis, nerivs venisque supra impressis, subtus promenulis, margine, basi excepta, argute serratis, serraturis divaricatis, ± triangularibus, 2-1 mm. longis, 1-1/2 mm. latis, muticis, apice calloso-incrassatis; caulina 2-3 basal. conformis, minora, cum petiolo 6-4 cm. longa. Umbella (unica) subglobosa, longe pedunculata; involucri phylla 3-5 anguste lineari-lanceolata, sensim in acumen acutissimum producta, 3-nervii, radiis ± 15 strictis, aequalibus, quadrangulis, demum 2 cm. longis, dimidio breviora. Umbellulae sub fructu maturo ± 1 cm. latae, 7-10-florae; involucellorum phyla 5-7, crassa, sublinearia, obtusiuscula, uninervia. pedicellis alato-quadrangulis, subaequalibus usque duplo longiora. Petala . . .; fructus ambitu elliptico-oblongus, ca. 31/2 mm. longus; vittae ad valleculas singulae, compressae; ad commisuram 2. Nova-Zelandica: Alpes australes near Cameron valley, 3500' (Haast ser. 1 no 460; ser. 11 s.n.)-mense Martio-Herb. Mus. Palat. vindebon. Species nova proxima L. aromatico Banks et Sol., quod differt foliis suborbicularibus, minoribus circumcirca profunde sublaciniatis, floribus dioicis fructibus ad valleculas 2-3 vittatis."

I have not seen specimens.