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Part v.—Supplement to the Section Acutae Fries
Subsect. Cryptocarpae Tuckerm.
Since preparing a review of the Sect. Acutae Fries (Trans. Roy. Soc. N.Z. 82: 49–64, 1954), the author has been able, through the co-operation of the individuals and institutions acknowledged below, to examine the Types (lodged in overseas herbaria) of all named species of the Carex “ternaria” group—i.e., those species with geminate spikes, as a result of which certain changes in nomenclature must be made. At the same time a discussion of the Types is given.
None of the three Types examined is entirely “typical” of the taxa they represent, but in the cases of C. polystachya A. Rich. and C. geminata Schkuhr they are sufficiently complete to be easily recognisable as part of the populations to which I here assign them. Photographs are in the Dominion Museum, Wellington, of all specimens borrowed from overseas herbaria for the present study.
The following key is an amendment to that on page 50 of Transactions 82, 1954. The numbering of the binaries and sequence of species is the same as before but some alterations have been made in the diagnostic characters used.
| 4. Glumes truncate or emarginate | 5 | |
| Glumes entire | 6 | |
| 5. Utricles contracted above into a minute beak, upper spikes usually erect | lessoniana | |
| Utricles tapering evenly above, beak absent, all spikes pendulous or nodding | geminata | |
| 6. Glumes lanceolate, acute, sheaths (and leaves usually) membranous, septate-nodulose | ternaria | |
| Glumes ovate, obtuse or subacute, sheaths and leaves coriaceous, not septate-nodulose | coriacea |
Carex lessoniana Steudel
The Type represents a small state approaching C. ternaria var. minor Boott in which the spikes are fewer, narrower and the plant somewhat more stunted than is usual. The utricles are not quite ripe, but are recognisable by the many prominent nerves and short beak.
The Type is Herb. Mus. Paris No. 2563 “Havre del' Astrolabe, N'lle Zelande, 1827”. The complete specimen on the left of the sheet is recognisable as the model for Richard's plate and has therefore been selected from the Type suite. Nos. 2561 and 2564 are co- or syntypes as is a further specimen in Herb. Kew.
The revised synonymy is:—
C. lessoniana Steudel, Nomencl. Bot. ed. 2: 292, 1840 (Lessoniana) based on C. polystachya A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 118, t. 21, 1832 non Sw. ex Wahlenb.
It has been wrongly referred to C. ternaria sensu stricto by the following:—
Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. 1: 89, 1844 and Fl. Nov. Zel. 1: 282, 1853; Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 1: 314, 1864; Cheeseman, Trans. N.Z. Inst. 16: 431, 1884; Man. N.Z. Fl. 820, 1906 and ed. 2: 265, 1925; Kukenthal, Pflanzenr. Heft 38: 369, 1909.
It has been confused with C. geminata Schkuhr sens. str. by:—Schkuhr, Riedgr. t. Pp. 1801 and Nachtr. 28, 1806 (see under C. geminata below); Wahl. Vet. Akad. Nya Handl. Stockholm 24: 160, 1803; Willd. Sp. Pl. ed. 4, 4: 249, 1805; Steud. Synops. Plant. Cyper. 206, 1855; Hamlin, Trans. Roy. Soc. N.Z. 82: 56, Fig. 3, 1954.
I wish to express my thanks to the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris for the loan of the Type suite including Steudel's specimen, Paris No. 2564.
Carex geminata Schkuhr
The Type (in Herb. Botanische Anstalten der Universität, Halle (Saale), Germany) is a rather poor specimen with male, and some female, spikes missing, but the
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utricles are fully mature, leaving no doubt as to its placing. The label reads as follows:
“C. Ternaria Forster. n.75 SK. von Prof. Sprengel d. 29. April. 98. hiervon Wunschte ich noch ein besseres Exemplar zu erhalten.”
and on the reverse side of the sheet:
“N. 75 Carex geminata SK. Carex ternaria Forster gepaartes Riedgrass.”
Schkuhr states (l.c. 1801, p. 65) that he received the specimen from Sprengel who sent it to him from the Forster Herbarium. The Type locality therefore would be either Dusky Sound or Queen Charlotte Sound.
A further specimen with male spikes was received by Schkuhr (ibid.) and illustrated on Tab. Pp. but this specimen is no longer in the herbarium at Halle (K. Werner, pers. comm.). Wahlenberg (Vet. Akad. Nya Handl. Stockholm 24: 160, 1803) apparently chose this second, more complete specimen as representing Schkuhr's species and his description applies to it only (“… capsulis ovatoglobosis cum acumine.”). Subsequently Willdenow (Sp. Plant. ed. 4, 4: 249, 1805) adopted Wahlenberg's view and described the utricles as “… subglobosis brevissimis rostratis …” His description is copied almost verbatim by Schkuhr (Nachtr. 28, 1806) and Steudel (Syn. Plant. Cyper. 206, 1855). The second specimen seems to be referable to C. lessoniana Steud.; that Forster collected both species is proved by the Type of C. geminata and a specimen of C. lessoniana in the Herbarium at Kew.
Therefore, the name C. geminata Schkuhr sens. str. must be applied to the original description and Tab. W. No. 75. Tab. Pp. and subsequent descriptions refer to the species now known as C. lessoniana Steudel. The synonymy is amended to:
C. geminata Schkuhr, Riedgr. 65, Tab. W, f. 75, 1801. excl. Tab. Pp.
Syn. C. confusa Hamlin, l.c. p. 58, Fig. 4, 1954 based on C. ternaria var. gracilis Cheeseman, Trans. N.Z. Inst. 16: 432, 1884.
I am deeply indebted to K. Werner, University of Halle, and Prof. Dr. R. Mansfeld, Gatersleben, for their help in clarifying this confusion.
Carex ternaria Hook. f.
Type: Lord Auckland Islands, J. D. Hooker, Ross voyage.
Syntype: 1481, Lord Auckland group. Both in Herb. Kew.
The Type is a young specimen in a preflowering state, and determination of its position must rely on vegetative and glume characters. The sheaths are membranous, and, together with the leaves, are septate-nodulose (i.e., marked by cross-veinlets). The glumes are mostly very young and still largely hyaline, 3–4 mm long, truncate tending to subacute or excurrent along the awn in the oldest examples, awns up to three times the length of the glumes, very hispid.
The only other known taxon of this group which has been collected on the Auckland Islands is C. darwinii var. aristata C. B. Clarke ex Kukenthal and a comparison was made between Hooker's specimens and all available material of C. darwinii var. aristata, including a large suite collected on the Chatham Islands by the author in February, 1957.
Specimens growing in fairly dry situations were found to be much smaller and of a more coriaceous texture than plants in permanently wet places. All growth forms have membranous sheaths to the leaves, while plants from wet places were conspicuously septate-nodulose as in Hooker's plant. Neither of these characters is found to the same extent in either C. geminata or C. lessoniana.
No specimens were found in a similar state of floral development to Hooker's plant, but WELT 2704, Antipodes Islands, Aston is in a more advanced flowering condition. One spike from this collection had not been exserted when the plant.
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was gathered and the glumes of this spike show a development from a truncate glume to an acute glume.
The only mature specimen from Auckland Islands which has been located is Paris 2813 collected by Guillou on the voyage of the “Astrolabe” and “Zelee”, 1838–40. The utricles of this specimen (some of them are in a packet on the Type sheet of C. ternaria) agree very well with specimens of C. darwinii var. aristata from dry situations.
On the basis of the above comparisons, C. ternaria and C. darwinii var. aristata are believed to be conspecific and the synonymy is amended below. It has not been possible to take into account the South American plants of C. darwinii which in any case do not affect the nomenclature of the New Zealand species, for on the present interpretations, both C. urolepis Franch. and C. darwinii var. darwinii Boott in Hook. f. (also C. serranoi Phil.) must be placed under C. ternaria, the latter being the oldest name, unless they be proved specifically distinct. The nomenclature given, therefore, applies to New Zealand plants only:—
C. ternaria Forst. f. ex Boott in Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. 1: 89, 1844.
C. Darwinii var. aristata C. B. Clarke ex Kukenthal, Bot. Jahrb. 27: 529, 1899 based on.
C. uroleps Franch. Miss. Sc. Cape Horn 5: 376, f. 5. 1899.
C. Darwinii var. urolepis (Franch.) Kukenthal, Pflanzenr. Heft 38: 367, 1909.
C. Martini Petrie, Trans. N.Z. Inst. 56: 7, 1926 non Lev. and Van.
C. ternaria, published as a nomen nudum by Forster (Prodr. 92, 1786) was referred to C. geminata Schkuhr as a synonym by Schkuhr (Nachtr. 28, 1806), Wahlenberg (Vet. Akad. Nya Handl. Stockholm 24: 160, 1803) and Steudel (Nomencl. Bot. ed. 2: 290, 1840), but this does not invalidate Boott's later publication. The present author (Hamlin, Trans. Roy. Soc. N.Z. 82: 56, 1954) also referred it to C. geminata, but all other authors, including Boott and Hooker in the original publication, considered the name to be applicable to the plant now called C. lessoniana Steudel.
From a field study of the species as it occurs in the Chatham Islands, some amendments and additions can be made to the description as previously published (Hamlin, Trans. Roy. Soc. N.Z. 82: 61, 1954). The smaller measurements are for plants growing in dry situation.
Culms 30–150 cm tall; leaves 6–17 mm wide (when fresh), greatly exceeding the culms; spikes 3–10 cm long, 0.5–1 cm broad, cylindric or lanceolate in large specimens; glumes 3–5 mm long; utricles 3–4 mm long, stipitate, subcoriaceous, not granular-papillose.
Cheeseman (Manual, 1925) states that the basal sheaths are not transversely fibrillose, but the presence of this character as described by Kukenthal is confirmed in recent collections.
The large form of this species was observed in two localities on Pitt Island, both clumps being in standing water. The small form only was collected on the main Chatham Island, each time being in peat on sloping ground. There had been no rain for a considerable period prior to the visit, and the surface of the ground was hard and dry.
My thanks are due to the Director, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, for the loan of the Type and other specimens, and much information supplied by correspondence. Mr. V. D. Zotov reported on the Kew material during his recent visit, and this assistance is gratefully acknowledged.
B. G. Hamlin, Dominion Museum, Private Bag, Wellington.