Flora of New Zealand Series

Calosciadium latifolium (Hook. f.) Endl. ex Walp. in Ann. Bot. syst. 2, 1850, 702.

Ligusticum latifolium Hook. f. Handbk N.Z. Fl. 1864. 94.

type locality: Campbell Id "near the sea". Type: K, J.D.H., Dec. 1840.

Very robust herb with watery sap, up to ± 2 m. tall; stem branched, grooved, up to ± 10 cm. diam. at base; stock very stout, taproot very deeply descending; offset plants arising from short stout rhizomes. Petioles (15)-20-30(40) cm. × (5)-10-20 mm., concave with stout median rib on ventral, convex on dorsal surface; sheath broad, tapering to petiole, with short broad rounded to toothed ligule, or ligule obsolete. Lamina about oblong to ovate-oblong in outline, 2-pinnate or sts ± 3-pinnate, (1)-2-4(6) dm. × (5)-15-20-(25) cm., coriac., light to rather dark green; veins evident on both surfaces. Primary pinnae, 5-10-(15) pairs, distant, broad ovate-oblong in outline, (5)-15-(20) × (3)-4-10 cm., with short slightly sheathing petiolule. Secondary pinnae 3-5 pairs, obliquely ovate-oblong, up to 5-(10) × 1-3 cm., sessile by very broad base, unequally 3-5 lobed; lobes about ovate-oblong, with cartilaginous margins produced into pungent points 2-3 mm. long. Stem-bracts with open concavo-convex sheaths up to 10 × 6 cm., narrowed to lamina up to c. 6 cm. long. Umbels compound, ± 4-8 cm. diam., us many ± aggregated into heads up to c. 2 dm. diam. Primary rays many, stout, unequal, up to ± 3 cm. long; involucral bracts linear, acute, pungent, 3-5 cm. × 5-10 mm. Secondary rays and bracts similar, shorter. Fls ∞; calyx-lobes unequal, narrowly ovate-triangular, subacute; petals broad-ovate, abruptly acute; ♂ with pistillodes bearing minute styles, ♀ with conical stylopodia and long styles. Fr. 4-5 mm. long; mericarps unequal, with 5-(4-3) ridges; vittae long, 1 per furrow.

DIST.: A., C. Formerly common, now almost restricted to places inaccessible to stock.

FL. 10-2. FT. 1-3.

The description of the petal-colour is curiously diverse. Hooker's original statement was "rose-coloured or purplish". In his Handbook he gives "pale pink". Kirk has "reddish", Cheeseman "red". Sorensen (D.S.I.R. Cape Exped. Ser. Bull. 7, 1951, 31) states: "Flowers from white to mauve, never red as given in Cheeseman's Manual . . . none have been noted on the island of a deeper shade than reddish mauve; most are lighter tending to mauves and lilacs." A male plant in my garden from Campbell Id, over three years, has had the petals and involucral bracts lilac. anthers more reddish.

Kirk (Stud. Fl. 1899, 200) describes his var. angustatum as, "Ultimate segments of the leaves 1/4 in. diameter or less, acicular points longer." This ± fits several barren specimens recently collected. Cockayne and Allan (Ann. Bot., Lond. 48, 1934, 34) consider var. angustatum one form of the group produced by A. antipoda × latifolia; this view is based "on a study in the field by Cockayne on the Lord Auckland Islands." The type is in W, "1155. Campbell Island. T. Kirk, Jan. 14, 1890).