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Carex raoulii Boott in Hook. f.
Carex raoulii Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. 1: 283. 1853 (Raoulii).
C. McMahoni Petrie, Trans. N.Z. Inst. 56: 6. 1926.
Type. There are three sheets of Raoul's collection from Akaroa at Kew, one of which is labelled by C. B. Clarke, “N.B.—This is the ‘type’ Raoulii with utricles hairy all over the upper half…” The word ‘type’ here seems to be used in the sense of “type variety” and and in any case an earlier annotation by Boott (“2. From Spach Aug. 27. 1857”) rules the specimen out as having been used by Boott for the original description. Another specimen labelled “1. From Hooker” by Boott is young with six spikes. The third specimen, mounted on the same sheet as a specimen of C. goyenii (see above) is older and has four spikes. It is suggested that these two latter sheets, minus the C. goyenii specimen, were Boott's original material, “4–6” being the number of spikes quoted in the description. The older specimen is obviously the more suitable and is accordingly selected as the Type (Plate 46, right-hand side of sheet).
Boott and C. B. Clarke in annotations on the sheets at Kew and Hooker in his “Handbook” all expressed doubt as to the specific distinction of C. raoulii from C. testacea Sol. ex Boott in Hook, f., a doubt which Cheeseman (l.c. 1884), with C. goyenii in mind, had difficulty in understanding. The reason for the doubt is
Text-fig. 1.—Carex goyenii—A. inflorescence; B utricle; C. glume. D. utricle; E. glume. C. raoulii—F, utricle; G. glume; H. inflorescence.
Carex testacea—
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Carex raoulii Type (right-hand specimen) mounted on same sheet as a specimen of C. goyenii (Herb. Kew.)
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readily appreciated, however, when C. raoulii is examined, for it is very close to C. testacea in appearance, principally differing in having a more robust habit, broader greener leaves, in having the terminal spike usually partly female, smaller glumes and with the utricles scabrid on both surfaces (see Text-fig. 1, D-E).
The following collections, all from coastal areas and preserved in the Herb. Dominion Museum, Wellington, have been identified:—
Herb. No. 1975 Akaroa, T. Kirk; 1979 French Pass, W. R. B. Oliver; 1980 Edgecumbe Point, Marlborough Sounds, J. H. McMahon in Herb. D. Petrie (Type of C. McMahoni Petrie); 2702 Seatoun Heights above Worser Bay, Wellington, V. D. Zotov.
Of these specimens, the Kirk and Zotov collections have the terminal spikes mixed; Oliver's specimen has two culms, one of which has the terminal spike wholly male the other mixed; McMahon's plants are almost exclusively male in the terminal spike which is unusually robust, but a few female flowers occur in some inflorescences.
The species is probably of fairly general occurrence on both shores of Cook Strait but has almost certainly been overlooked as being C. testacea.