Flora of New Zealand Series

Renealmia grandiflora R. Br. Prodr. Add.  1810, 592 

(non Renealmia Linn. f. 1781).

L. orbicularis Col. in T.N.Z.I. 15, 1883, 329.

Tukauki, Mikoikoi.

Type locality: Tolaga Bay(?). Type: WELT. Banks and Solander.

Lfy fans closely bunched on short erect rhizomes, sts connected by narrow stolons. Lvs (10)–50–(80) cm. × 3–15 mm., the two surfaces similar; nerves ∞, the median ones inclined to be crowded and thickened; margins us. partly finely scabrid, occ. completely so. Peduncles long, us. carrying fls above lvs. Panicle broad, much and us. openly branched; upper bracts narrow and pale. Pedicels slender but stiff, often > 2.5 cm. long. In fl.-bud per. sts coloured externally, = or often > ovary. Fls 1.5–3 cm. diam.; tepals all white internally, widely patent; outer about half length of inner, and much narrower; inner orbicular to broad-oblong, shortly unguiculate, overlapping outer tepals very little to almost completely. Staminal filaments shortly connate; anthers c. 3 mm. long, strongly coloured. Ovary dark, smoothly rounded, small for size of per.; style-branches scarcely winged, pointing upwards. Capsule to 1.5 × 1 cm. but us. less, globose to long-pyriform, green or reddish green (occ. yellowish), turning almost black when full grown and mature and soon dehiscing by shorter or longer loculicidal clefts, the longer valves sts widely recurved. Seed c. 1.5–2 × 1.5 mm., rounded to angular, reticulate-patterned, dull brownish red to bright tangerine. n = 57.

DIST.: N., S. north of c. lat. 42º.

Stream-sides and forest floor.

FL. 10–11. FT. 1–4.

Intraspecific variation is wide and is partly illustrated by Moore (loc. cit. 1967). Many plants from East Cape district have ± oblong inner tepals.

L. orbicularis was based on collections from several localities in Hawke's Bay. Lectotype: WELT, Norsewood, W. Colenso.