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Volume I (1961) - Flora of New Zealand Indigenous Tracheophyta - Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Filicopsida, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledons
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Cotula L.

COTULA L., 1753

Capitula discoid, heterogamous to homogamous, on short or long, stout or slender ebracteate or bracteate scapes (plants sts dioec.). Phyll. in 1 to several series, imbricate; margins or whole lamina often scarious, often purple-tinged, sts erose, occ. incurved and ± concealing florets. Receptacle nude, flat to convex or conical. ♀forming a marginal band in 1 or 2 series, occ. more, sts with 1 or a few perfect florets. Disk-florets us. ∞, perfect or functionally ♂; anthers obtuse at base; style-arms truncate to obtuse. Achenes ± compressed, sts curved, often plano-convex, weakly to strongly ribbed, sts winged, sts stipitate. Pappus 0. Tufted to creeping perennial herbs, rarely annual or biennial, ± glandular and aromatic with alt. to fascicled lvs. Lamina imparipinnately pinnate to pinnatisect or pinnatifid, rarely entire or nearly so. Some 60 spp.; the genus widespread, the subgenus Leptinella apparently confined to N.Z., Australia, Tasmania, Kerguelen, Marion and Crozet Is and Fuegia. Of the ± 24 spp. of N.Z. 21 are endemic.

SYNOPSIS

  • A. Subgenus COTULA. 
    • ♀ without corolla, achenes in one series; disk-florets perfect with bilobed stigma; florets yellow:
    • 1. coronopifolia
  • B. Subgenus STRONGYLOSPERMA. 
    • ♀without corolla, achenes in several series; disk-florets perfect with bilobed stigma; florets white:
    • 2. australis
  • C. Subgenus LEPTINELLA. 
    • ♀with distinct corolla, achenes in one or several series; disk-florets functionally ♂ with undivided style; florets yellow or white (black in atrata)
    • 1. Section BISEXUALES. 
      • Capitula bisexual
      • (a) Subsection Robustae. 
        • Stems and sts lower parts of branches stout, ± hard and woody:
        • 3. featherstonii, 4. renwickii
      • (b) Subsection Aggregatae. 
        • Stems ± tufted, ascending; lvs clustered:
        • 5. plumosa, 6. lanata, 7. atrata
      • (c) Subsection Anomalae. 
        • Lamina cut straight down to broad apex of sheath into several subequal segs:
        • 8. goyenii
      • (d) Subsection Radicantes. 
        • Stems creeping, rooting at nodes
        • (i) Series Glabratae. 
          • Lamina glab. or very nearly so:
          • 9. potentillina, 10 traillii, 11. minor, 12. filiformis
        • (ii) Series Tomentosae. 
          • Lamina ± densely clad in soft hairs:
          • 13. villosa, 14. haastii, 15. maniototo
        • (iii) Series Subulatae. 
          • Pinnae ± linear-subulate, arranged in a pseudo-pectinate manner:
          • 16. sericea, 17. pectinata
        • (iv) Series Incrassatae. 
          • Lamina thick, ± fleshy, glab.:
          • 18. willcoxii
    • 2. Section UNISEXUALES. 
      • Capitula unisexual
      • (a) Subsection Carnosae. 
        • Lamina fleshy:
        • 19. pyrethrifolia
      • (b) Subsection Acutae. 
        • Lamina membr., teeth acute to acuminate, mostly confined to upper margin:
        • 20. squalida, 21. perpusilla, 22. angustata, 23. linearifolia
      • (c) Subsection Lobulatae. 
        • Teeth or lobes broad, blunt, sts strongly apiculate:
        • 24. dioica

The spp. are difficult to key satisfactorily, mainly owing to the great plasticity of many―especially the considerable range of size of the parts, the degree of hairiness and the diversity of development of pinnae and ultimate teeth. We lack adequate field knowledge of most of them. Sexual expression needs much further study. Some details about the nature of the disk-florets have been made available by Miss. E. Edgar from unpublished work.

Key

1
♀ without corolla
2
♀with distinct corolla
3
2
Florets bright yellow, plant a fleshy perennial
1. coronopifolia
Florets white, plant a slender annual
2. australis
3
Plants confined to Chatham Is
4
Plants not occurring on Chatham Is
6
4
Lamina pinnatifid in upper part, pinnatisect in lower, pinnae unequally crenate-serrate
9. potentillina
Lamina crenately 3-5-toothed at rounded apex or entire
5
5
Lamina densely pubescent; scapes 12-25 mm. long, densely hairy
3. featherstonii
Lamina glab. or nearly so; scapes 10-15 mm. long, glab. or nearly so
4. renwickii
6
Plants confined to Subantarctic Is (C. dioica and C. minor doubtfully occur there)
7
Plants occurring on main and/or adjacent islands
8
7
Lamina soft, much dissected, (5)-10-15 cm. long; capitula 8-12 mm. diam., florets eglandular
5. plumosa
Lamina rather fleshy, pinnate to pinnatisect, 2-2.5-(7·5) cm. long; capitula 6-9 mm. diam., florets glandular
6. lanata
8
Lamina linear, entire (sts minutely forked at apex)
23. linearifolia
Lamina not at all as above
9
9
Lamina of 5-7 linear-subulate segs cut straight down to truncate or slightly rounded apex of sheath; segs and sheath ± (2)-2.5-3·5 mm. long
goyenii
Lamina not at all as above
10
10
Florets black to dark purple (but see var. dendyi)
7. atrata
Florets yellow to white
11
11
Capitula bisexual
12
Capitula unisexual
20
12
Capitula sessile or subsessile or on scapes not > 6 mm. long; lamina ± 4-10 × 1·5-2 mm.
15. maniototo
Capitula on distinctly longer scapes; lamina distinctly larger
13
13
Lamina very densely clad in silky hairs
14
Lamina sts sparsely hairy, us. glab. or nearly so
16
14
Pinnae 3-6 pairs, spathulate to elliptic-obovate; achenes glandular-pubescent
13. villosa
Pinnae (7)-8-12 pairs, not shaped as above; achenes eglandular
15
15
Pinnae 10-12 pairs, narrow-obovate to oblanceolate; achenes glab.
14. haastii
Pinnae 8-10 pairs, narrow-subulate; achenes silky-hairy
16. sericea
16
Pinnae linear-subulate
17. pectinata
Pinnae not linear-subulate
17
17
Lamina (5)-7-10 × 5-10 mm., petiole 5-12 mm. long; pinnae 1-4 pairs with a terminal lobe, obovate-oblong to obovate-cuneate, sts irregularly cut into several segs, rather thick
18. willcoxii
Lamina not with the above characters in combination
18
18
Capitula (6)-8-9 mm. diam.; lamina 25-50-70 mm. long; pinnae 7-9 pairs, mid-pinnae 10 × 8 mm.
10. traillii
Capitula 2-4-(5) mm. diam.; lamina and pinnae not as above
19
19
Lamina 4-6-10-(20) × 2-3-(5) mm.; pinnae c. 6 pairs, mid-pinnae ± 1 mm. long
12. filiformis
Lamina 12-15-30-(50) × 6-10 mm.; pinnae 6-12 pairs, mid-pinnae to 4 mm. long
11. minor
20
Scapes with several distinct bracts; lamina rather to distinctly fleshy; capitula up to 15 mm. diam., sts larger
19. pyrethrifolia
Scapes nude or occ. with 1 often rather obscure bract; lamina membr.; capitula us. not > 10 mm. diam.
21
21
Lamina 10-20 × 4-5 mm., pinnatisect, sparsely hairy; pinnae entire or occ. with a few very small teeth, 5-8 pairs; scapes ± 20 mm. long
22. angustata
Lamina not with the above characters in combination; scapes us. longer
22
22
Lamina glab., with broad-oblong abruptly apiculate teeth
24. dioica
Lamina densely to sparsely clad in silky hairs; teeth narrow, acute to acuminate
23
23
Lamina (5)-10-20-25 × 3-5-7 mm., densely silky-hairy on both surfaces; teeth deeply serrate along upper margin; pinnae 12-20 close-set pairs; scapes rather stout, rigid, 5-6-10-(20) mm. long
21. perpusilla
Lamina 25-50-(60) × (5)-10-15-20 mm., densely or rather sparsely clad in soft hairs; pinnae deeply incised on upper margin, 8-15 us. rather distant pairs; scapes slender, (25)-40-60-(75) mm. long
20. squalida

Flowering occurs from September to February, the main period being December-January. Fr. is ripe c. 1 month after flowering.

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