A New Clematis From North-west Nelson, New Zealand

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1 New Zealand Journal of Botany ISSN: X (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: A New Clematis From North-west Nelson, New Zealand B. V. Sneddon To cite this article: B. V. Sneddon (1975) A New Clematis From North-west Nelson, New Zealand, New Zealand Journal of Botany, 13:3, , DOI: / X To link to this article: Published online: 10 Feb Submit your article to this journal Article views: 106 Citing articles: 4 View citing articles Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

2 557 A New Clematis From North-west Nelson, New Zealand B. V. SNEDDON Department of Botany, Victoria University of Wellington, Private Bag, Wellington, New Zealand (Received 14 October 1974) ABSTRACT Clematis marmoraria B. V. Sneddon sp. nov. from amongst marble rocks near the summit of Hoary Head, northern Arthur Range, is described and illustrated; it is a low-growing crevice plant with non-twining, variously dissected leaves and solitary, white unisexual flowers. Recent collections from a little-visited peak in North-west Nelson include an undescribed species of Clematis. Plants have been studied in the field and in cultivation in Wellington where transplants were grown in an unheated glasshouse from 1971 to The fohowing description and measurements are based on wild plants, fresh, liquid-preserved, and pressed. Specimens are deposited in the herbaria of Botany Division, DSIR (CHR) and Victoria University of Wellington (WELTU). Clematis marmoraria B. V. Sneddon sp. nov. (Figs 1-4) Suffrutex humilis, rupestralis, surculis auctus, dioecius. Caules graciles, paene vel omnino glabri, obscure sulcati; pars caulis subterranea (2-) 8 (-14) paribus foliorum multo reductorum instructa, plerumque ad nonnul\os nod os radicantes et ramificantes; caules aerii erecti vel deeumbentes, perbreves (4-10 cm) nisi in umbrosis locis, plerumque parce ramificantes. Folia ± conferta, coriaeea, paene glabra, ad 3 (-4) em longa. Petioli c. I em longi, non volubiles. Laminae plerumque profunde 3-lobatae ad 3-foliolatae; lobi foliolaque duplo vel triplo profunde incisa, segmenta coneava in pagina adaxiali, ad fin em parva, obtusa vel subacuta; petioluli folio rum lateralium breves, ad basim obliqui. Infloreseentia axillaris I-floris; pedunculus c. 5 em longus; braeteae 1-2 geminae, parvae. Flores masculi 2-3 em diametro; sepala 5-8 alba, extra sericea intra glabra, 6-18 mm Jonga plerumque obovata; stamina 00, 5-9 mm longa, antherae c. 1.5 mm longae, ova tooblongae, obtuse apiculatae; carpella O. Flores feminei minores; staminodia 8-13; carpella 00. Achenii corpus seminale ovoideum, 3-4 mm longum; stylus em longus, plumosus. New Zealand Journal 01 Botany 13:

3 558 New Zealand Journal of Botany 13, 1975 tio~typus: CHR Hoary Head, Arthur Range, NW Nelson (Grid Ref. NZMS 1 SI3/201472), cleft in marble, c m, B. V. Sneddon, 10 December 1973, ~. Fig. I. FIG. I-C. marmoraria. Portion of Type plant in natural habitat, showing habit, leaves, and female flowers (15-20 mm diameter). Also in photograph : leaf of CYS10Pteris fragijis (arrow) and Poa colensoi (above flowers). A low rupestral dioecious subsbrub with slender taproot and several stems, spreading in suitable habitats by a succession of suckers. Stems perennial, c. 1-2 mm diameter, up to 40 rarely 50 em long, almost or quite glabrous and inconspicuously grooved. Underground part of suckers 4-20 (-40) em long with (2-) 8 (-14) pairs of much reduced leaves (internodes (1-) 7-30 (-60) mm long); usually rooting and branching at some nodes. Aerial stems erect to decumbent, very short (4-10 cm) but longer in shade. internodes 1-20 (-40) mm long; usually sparingly brancbed. Underground leaves 1-5 mm long, entire to minutely

4 Sneddon-New Clematis 559 lobed. Green leaves -+- crowded, subcoriaceous to coriaceous, almost glabrous. up to 3 rarely 4 cm long. living c. 2 years before slowly decaying to base. Petioles (5-) Il (-I 8) mm long, channelled, not twining. Laminae broad-ovate to angular-ovate in outline when fresh. variously dissected (with major segments -+- ascending and overlapping) from multifid-multipartite to deeply 3-lobed to 3-foliolate; lobes or leaflets deeply incised 2-3 times (to bipinnate below in leaflets). segments concave adaxially and -+- bordered. ultimately small. obtuse to subacute; lateral leaflets short petioluled. oblique at base. Subfloral leaves (3-) 7-16 (-21) mm long. Inflorescence a solitary flower. axillary. -+- fulvouspubescent; peduncles (2.5-) 4.5 (-7.5) cm long; bracts 1-2 pairs -lower pair (often lacking) basal. connate. blade c. 2 mm long. minutely 3-lobed - upper pair (2-) 4.2 (-7.7) mm long. narrow-oblong to spathulate. entire or shallowly lobed. Male flower 2-3 cm diameter; sepals 5-8. white (slightly green-stained when young), thinly fulvous-silky without, glabrous within. (6-) 12 (-18) X (3-) 6 (-10.5) mm, obovate (occasionally elliptic); stamens mm long. anthers mm long. ovate-oblong, connective produced into minute blunt apiculus; carpels O. Female flower with slightly smaller sepals; stamens anthers barren: carpels Achene seed body ovoid. 3-4 mm long, puberulent. brown; style cm long. pale fulvous-plumose. Chromosome number 2n = 16 (B. V. Sneddon). DISTRIBUTION: South Island. Known only from Hoary Head, NW Nelson, where it is locally plentiful above the treeline, at altitudes of c. I 280 to m (summit). HABITAT: Plants grow in rocky sites in open herbfield: either in crevices in massive marble (Fig. 1), or amongst semi-fixed rocks and stones (Fig. 2). It is apparently absent on unstable scree-type slopes and does not extend into continuous grass cover. Clematis mormororia sometimes grows up through prostrate divaricating shrubs (Pittosporum anomalum Laing et Gourlay, Aristotelia fruticosa Hook.f., Coprosma propinqua A. Cunn., Hymenanthera alpina (Kirk) W. R. B. Oliver) but it does not climb over their tops. The specific epithet marmoraria (of or belonging to marble) refers to the habitat of the species. STEMS: Suckers (Figs 2, 31) are axillary stems originating below ground (under rocks and stones). Each consists of a proximal underground portion, which may be horizontal or vertical, bearing mostly distant, white to purplish much reduced leaves; and a distal aerial portion, usually short and erect, with crowded green leaves. Branches may develop on either portion, as suckers below or aerial branches above. Up to five orders of sucker branching have been observed. New suckers commonly develop from the previous order. but they may also arise from lower-order suckers on the same plant.

5 560 New Zealand Journal of Botany 13, 1975 FlO. 2-C. marmoraria. Leafy tops of group of suckers in natural habitat, growing amongst semi-fixed rocks and stones; total length of suckers is em. All stem axes show semi-determinate growth, producing up to 28 pairs of leaves, the number most commonly seen being between 15 and 25. (Up to 10, sometimes more, of the distal leaf pairs may be living.) There is strong apical dominance; axes often remain unbranched while the apex is growing actively, and branching that does occur is usually confined to lower nodes, but when the apex is destroyed (e.g., by wind) branching occurs from higher nodes. The length of axes, which is limited by the finite number of nodes and short internodes, is usually less than 40 cm. However, longer stems are occasionally formed by sympodial branching: the longest such stem seen (WELTU 9701) measured 53 cm and consisted of three axes. Aerial stems in unshaded situations are typically short, with very short internodes. For example, in a lateral axis 8.75 cm long there were 25 internodes with minimum, average, and maximum lengths of 0.5, 3.5, and 8 mm respectively. HETEROBLASTY: Seedling leaves have not been seen. A representative range of leaf forms from wild plants is shown in Fig. 4. Multifid and FIG. 3-C. marmoraria. (A) foliage with male inflorescence; (8) g sepals - 1 abaxial surface, 2, 3 adaxial surface; (C) d stamens; (D) d anther; (E) upper bracts - 1 abaxial surface, 2, 3 adaxial surface; (F) lower bracts - 1 peduncle, 2 stem, 3 petiole; (G) achene; (H) reduced leaves on underground stem; (I) scheme of sucker habit - 1 old sucker, 2 sucker branch, 3 aerial branch.

6 ] o E 0) ~ )1( )1.( 2 3 mm E - G ' " '<m;tr" H 2 CD aerial leaf node o underground leaf node... root 2 em r-t""i

7 562 New Zealand Journal of Botany 13, 1975 multipartite leaves (up to six pairs) occur on the lower parts of shaded stems but are uncommon on stems in full light; 3-lobed leaves occur above these and are usually the only other form on shaded stems. Threefoliolate leaves are usually confined to unshaded stems, where they may occur together with deeply 3-lobed leaves, or be the only form present. FLOWERING: In the wild, flowering occurs in early December and the achenes take 3 months to ripen. Flowering is sporadic with a very small proportion of plants in the population producmg flowers. Usually there are only 1 or 2 flowers per plant, though up to 10 have been seen. In the summer of , the total number of flowers observed on the mountain was 96, of which 45 (47 %) were male and 51 (53 %) female. FERTILITY: Pollen tested in lactopheno1 cotton blue averaged 92 % morphologically good, stained pollen grains for 3 male flowers (500 grains counted per flower). However, seed set was very low: out of 19 fruiting heads seen on the mountain, 16 consisted wholely of infertile achenes (small achenes containing ovules without embryos) and in the other 3 the ratio of fertile:infertile achenes was 1:30,8:33, and 8:29. Fertile achenes appeared normal (Fig. 3G) and contained seeds with embryos though no germination tests were made. HERBARIUM SPECIMENS EXAMINED: (All from Hoary Head, Arthur Range, NW Nelson) CHR "(Grid Ref. S13: ), cleft in marble, c m, B. V. Sneddon, 10 Dec " Female plant: three flowering stems with one, three, and six flowers respectively. (TYPE) CHR "On eastern side, north from summit, cieft in marble, c metres, B. V. Sneddon, " Piece of stem with two male flowers. CHR "S13: , J. A. Brereton, late Dec " Branched stem with one female flower in early fruit. WEL TV "Southern side, c m, growing inside narrow deft in marble outcrop, B. V. Sneddon, 23 Jan " Vegetative pieces with shade leaves. Earliest known specimen. WELTU "In marble fissures and amongst rocks on ± level ground, c m, B. V. Sneddon, IS Feb " Stem pieces with 14 fruiting heads, none with fertile achenes. WELTU A-E. "Southern side, amongst stones and penetrating into prostrate mats of Pitt os porum anomaium, c m, B. V. Sneddon, 13 Feb " Suite of vegetative specimens with suckers. PLANTS IN CULTIVATION: Transplants closely resembled wild plants but had shorter underground stems (up to 10 cm long, between the soil and a covering layer of stones); more uniformly short aerial stems (c. 4 cm long); and smaller, less variable leaves (c. 25 (-33) mm long, mostly deeply 3-lobed and 3-foliolate). Only two flowers were produced in 3 years (early October 1972): a male flower which was normal, and a female flower with dwarfed sepals.

8 FIG. 4-C. marmoraria. Leaf form: silhouettes of leaves from wild plants, flattened and with segments, lobes, and leaflets pulled back from overlapping positions. Inset: C. australis - silhouette of leaf from wild plant (for comparison) : Cobb Valley, NW Nelson.

9 564 New Zealand Journal of Botany 13, 1975 CoMPARISON WITH OTHER SPECIES: Clematis marmoraria is very distinct and unlikely to be confused with any other described species of Clematis in New Zealand. It is also unlike any species occurring in Australia (Hj. Eichler, pers. comm.). Clematis marmoraria differs from other New Zealand species in its rupestral alpine habitat; the low, suckering, essentially non-lianoid habit with short erect stems and crowded leaves in full light; the non-twining petioles and petiolules; the uniquely dissected leaflets; and the solitary flowers with obovate sepals. TABLE I-Comparison between Clematis marmoraria and C. australis. llabit Stems (aerial) Leaves (adult) Petioles & petiolules Pctiolar anatomy Leaflets Sepals Anthers (~ flowers) Achenes C. marmoraria rupestral subshrub, not climbing over shrubs and small trees. inconspicuously grooved; mid-stem internodes 1-20 (-40) mm long simple (multifid to deeply 3-10bed) and 3-foliolate not twining; decaying with lamina vascular bundles 3; cap fibres few; no sclerenchyma between bundles lateral and terminal leaflets usually dissimilar in form; ultimate segments not apiculate usually obovate, obtuse to retuse; pubescent without only ovate-oblong, mm long brown C. australis liane, usually climbing over shrubs and small trees usually conspicuously grooved; mid-stem internodes (20-) 100 (-180) mm long 3-foliolate ± twining; often persisting after lamina decay vascular bundles 5-8; cap fibres usually many; sclerenchyma present between bundles lateral and terminal leaflets usually similar in form; ultimate segments usually apiculate ovate-oblong, obtuse to subacute; pubescent on both surfaces linear-oblong, mm long dark reddish brown Of the 10 indigenous species currently recognised (Allan 1961) C. marmoraria shows greatest resemblance to C. australis, though the two species can be readily separated (Table 1) and are clearly not closely related. The degree of leaflet dissection is nearest to that found in C. australis but the form of the dissection differs markedly: in C. marmoraria (Fig. 4) the two lateral leaflets differ in symmetry from the terminal leaflet (basal segments or pinnae alternate and opposite respectively), whereas in C. australis (Fig. 4 Inset) all three leaflets have similar symmetry (basal pinnae opposite). The two species are alike in having I-flowered inflorescences combined with white sepals. though in C. australis few-flowered panicles also Occur and the sepals may be pale yellow rather than white. Moreover, the sepals of C. australis contrast in shape and indumentum (Table 1). Clematis parvifiora resembles C. marmoraria in having a minute. obtuse anther-appendage (Cheeseman 1914, Plate 2), as does the

10 Sneddon-New Clematis 565 Australian C. glycinoides DC. (Willis 1972). but both species are quite distinct from C. marmoraria in overall morphology. In the absence of a modern monograph on the genus it has not been possible to place the new species surely in any of the Sections that have been defined. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am grateful to Dr L. B. Moore for suggestions and helpful criticism of the preliminary draft of this text; to Dr E. Edgar for translation of the diagnosis into Latin; to the keepers of AK. WELT. and CHR Herbaria for the opportunity to examine specimens; and to Mr G. Stephenson for assistance in field work. REFERENCES ALLAN. H. H. 1961: "Flora of New Zealand". Vol. I. Government Printer. Wellington pp. CHEESEMAN, T. F. 1914: "Illustrations of the New Zealand Flora". Vol. I. Government Printer. Wellington. WILLIS, JAMES H. 1972: "A Handbook to Plants in Victoria". Vol. II, Melbourne University Press. 832 pp. NOTE ADDED IN PROOF In May Mr S. Walls collected Clematis marmoraria at c. I 400 m on Crusader. a marble peak (1 428 m) c. 1.6 km south-west of Hoary Head on the Arthur Range. Plants were fairly common on the northern side of the peak. in rocky sites above the treeline. Herbarium material is deposited at Victoria University of Wellington (WELTU 12272).