Flora of New Zealand Series

D. cockayneanum Du Rietz in Svensk bot. Tidskr. 24, 1930, 374.

Type: W, Campbell Id, W. R. B. Oliver, April 1, 1927.

Lvs stiff, sheaths 10-18 × 5-10 mm.; lamina (6)-9-10-(14) cm. long. Width of Auckland Id specimens 2-4 mm., of Campbell Id 2-2.5 mm. Racemes c. 4-5 cm. long, erect to ascending, sts becoming spreading.

DIST.: A., C.

Oliver (loc. cit. 1929, 702) remarks: "Specimens with short leaves, evidently a habitat form, were described by Hombron and Jacquinot as variety retortum."

Oliver (loc. cit. 1952. 11) describes 2 vars, but both need further study:

" Var. septentrionale var. nov. Frutex. Folia juvenilia 180 × 6 mm., matura 130 × 2.5 mm. The racemes are small like those of filifolium. . . but the leaves . . . are wider than those of filifolium at all stages. Type from Mount Maharahara, collected by R. M. Greenwood in Olearia colensoi scrub, June, 1946, in herbarium of Botany Division, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research". Similar forms occur elsewhere on the Ruahine Range.

" Var. pluviale var. nov. Arbor vel frutex. Folia juvenilia 185 × 7 mm., matura 96 × 1·6 mm. The distinguishing characters of this variety are the erect form with small strict leaves and straight erect racemes. The trunk is sometimes 30-40 cm. in diameter, though the tree is not tall, 2-4 m. Compared with the typical variety, both the juvenile and adult leaves are short. In the high country, 2,000 to 3,000 feet above Caswell Sound, it grows in boggy low forest. Type from Leslie Valley, Caswell Sound, collected by W.R.B. Oliver, March 29, 1949, in Dominion Museum. Distribution. Wet regions of the west of the South Island, south of S. lat. 43º. Caswell Sound, Wilmot Pass, Waiho Valley, Alex Knob, Mount Moltke, Takahe Valley." Measurements of over 50 specimens, ranging from Caswell Sound Puysegur Point, gave: Lvs of juvenile plants--sheath (14)-20-25 × 7-9-10 mm.; lamina 15-22-(25) cm. × 6-7-(10) mm. Lvs of adult plants-sheath 9-12 × 3-5 mm.; lamina 7·5-10-20 cm. × 1·5-2-4(6) mm. Racemes erect to spreading. Populations were studied in the field from Puysegur Point to Doubtful Sound, but I could not find any definite characters separating var. longifolium from var. pluviale. Part of the diversity appeared to be due to different habitat conditions, part possibly to hybridism.

Hooker (Fl. N.Z. 1, 1854, 169) based his D. lyallii on specimens collected at Dusky Sound by Menzies and at Port Preservation and Thomson's Sound by Lyall. His description is: "arbuscula, foliis 2-5 unc. longis e basi vaginante ciliata abrupte angustatis angustissime subulatis strictis rigidis suprene canaliculatis supra medium triquetris basi 1 lin. latis, racemis glaberrimis erectis terminalibus 11/2-2 unc. longis 6-10-floris, floribus breve pedicellatis, bracteis caducis, calycis foliolis ovatis acuminatis ciliatis, corollae lobis late ovatis." The Thomson Sound specimen at K consists of 3 pieces, one with racemes, lamina ± 10 cm. × 2-3 mm. There is also the Dusky Sound specimen. The status in the complex remains to be determined, but appears to come under Oliver's pluviale.