Flora of New Zealand Series

Type: W, Kirk Herb., W. S. Hamilton, Oreti R.

Stolons stout, 3-5 mm. diam., branched, up to ± 4 dm. long, forming compact cushions; internodes ± 5 cm. long, rosettes overlapping. Lvs on stout flat petioles ± 2-5 cm. × 2-4 mm., ± winged, widening to amplexicaul base. Lamina grey slaty green, coriac., subfleshy, glab. or nearly so, deltoid- to broad-ovate, cuneately narrowed to base or truncate ± 20-30 × 10-25 mm., minutely crenulate, teeth oblong, obtuse, ± 1 mm. long. Infl. up to c. 6 cm. tall, stout. ♀ at first crowded, scape elongating; styles up to 5 mm. long. Drupes patent to pend., ± 3 mm. long, clavate, red.

Dist.: S. Near mouth of Oreti R. St. Mason Bay. Dunes and dune-hollows.

REMARKS

Very much work is still needed to make our knowledge of the genus in N.Z. at all satisfactory. Batham (T.R.S.N.Z. 73, 1943, 209) has made a useful contribution to our knowledge of the vascular anatomy.

Sexual expression still awaits detailed analysis. There appears to be a tendency in some of the spp. bearing "bisexual" scapes to "unisexual" scapes. The presence of a few perfect fls in the infl. of either group is apparently not uncommon. How far the degree of hairiness, drupe colour and shape and so on are due to genetic and how far to habitat conditions has not been studied. There is some evidence that G. albocarpa, monoica, strigosa are linked by hybrid forms, and that G. flavida crosses with G. prorepens.

Kirk (Stud. Fl. 1899, 151) remarks: "In most species the fruits require from four to six months for maturation." I have not been able to confirm this for G. albocarpa, G. flavida, G. hamiltonii and G. prorepens in cultivation, though the fr. may persist on the scapes for one month or a little more.