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Manual of the New Zealand Flora.
3. Forstera, Linn. f
3. Forstera, Linn. f.
Glabrous perennial herbs. Stems simple or branched, erect or decumbent. Leaves small, entire, densely or laxly imbricating, spreading or recurved. Peduncles terminal, slender, 1-flowered or more rarely 2–5-flowered. Flowers white, erect or nodding, sometimes unisexual. Calyx-tube ovoid; lobes 5 or 6, equal or nearly so. Corolla almost; regular; tube short; limb campanulate, with 5–9 nearly equal lobes; throat naked or glandular. Column short, erect. Ovary oblong or ovoid, imperfectly 2-celled at the base. Capsule 1-celled, somewhat membranous, opening at the apex. Seeds numerous, elliptical or fusiform; testa lax, produced at each end.
In addition to the three species described below, which are confined to New Zealand, there is another from the mountains of Tasmania.
| Leaves ⅛–¼ in., imbricate, recurved, sessile, obovate-spathulate; midrib broad and thick, cuneate | 1. F. sedifolia. |
| Leaves ¼–½ in., close-set, spreading and recurved, sessile, obovate or linear-obovate; midrib indistinct | 2. F. Bidwillii. |
| Leaves ¼–⅔ in., lax, erect or spreading, shortly petioled, oblong-obovate; midrib obsolete | 3. F. tenella. |
| 1. | F. sedifolia, Linn. f. Suppl. 407.—Stems 2–12 in. long, stout or slender, simple or sparingly divided, rarely much branched, erect or decumbent at the base, densely leafy throughout. Leaves closely imbricating, spreading and recurved, sessile by a broad base,⅛–¼ in. long, obovate-spathulate or oblong-spathulate, obtuse, very thick and coriaceous, shining, often reddish-brown, nerveless above, midrib thickened and almost cuneate beneath; margins broad, cartilaginous. Peduncle slender, strict, 2–4 in. long, 1–2-flowered. Flowers very variable in size, ¼–½ in. diam. or more. Bracts 2–3, oblong, obtuse. Calyx-lobes 6, linear-oblong, obtuse. Corolla-tube very short; lobes 6, linear-oblong, obtuse, each with 2 linear glands at the base. Column short; anthers 2, sessile at the top of the column, transverse, reniform; stigma 2-lobed, the lobes spreading between the anthers, papillose. Epigynous glands 2, narrow-clavate. Capsule oblong-clavate.—A. Rich. F1. Nouv. Zel. 229; A. page 393 Cunn, Precur. n. 427; Raoul, Choix, 45; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 154; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 166; Berggr. in Minnesk. Fisiog. Sallsk. Lund. (1877) n. viii. 9, t. 2, f. 20. Phyllachne sedifolia, F. Muell. Fragm. viii. 40.
Var. oculata.—Flowers much larger,½–¾in., usually with a dark eye. South Island, Stewart Island: Not uncommon on the higher mountains, chiefly in the central and western districts. Var. oculata: Mount Roch-fort, near Westport, W. Townson! Humboldt Mountains, Cockayne! Clinton Saddle, Petrie! Frazer Peaks (Stewart Island), Thomson and Petrie! Altitudinal range, 2000–5000 ft. December–March. Best distinguished by the short and broad very coriaceous recurved leaves, with a broad and thick cuneate midrib beneath. |
| 2. | F. Bidwillii, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 155.—Stems 2–8 in. long, rather stout, usually branched above, decumbent or rooting below, lower pare naked and scarred, often reddish, upper portion leafy. Leaves numerous, close-set, spreading and often recurved, ¼–½ in. long, obovate or linear-obovate to linear-oblong, obtuse or subacute, coriaceous, not shining, green, nerveless above, midrib very indistinct beneath; margins cartilaginous, flat or recurved. Peduncle 2–4 in. long, 1–3-flowered. Flowers much as in F. sedifolia, but smaller, ¼–⅓ in. aiam., rarely more. Corolla-lobes shorter and broader, linear glands at the base of the lobes more conspicuous. Epigynous glands subulate. Capsule oblong-clavate.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 167; Berggr. l.c. t. 2, f. 1 to 19. F. truncatella, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xx. (1888) 196. F. major, Col. l.c. xxxi. (1899) 272.
North and South Islands: Not uncommon in mountain districts from Hikurangi, Tongariro, and Mount Egmont to the south of Otago. 2500–6000 ft. December–March. Closely allied to the preceding, but perhaps sufficiently distinct in the longer and more laxly placed less coriaceous leaves, which have a very indistinct midrib beneath. Berggren's figure is by no means characteristic of the usual state of the species. |
| 3. | F. tenella, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 155.—Very closely allied to F. Bidwillii, and probably a mere variety of that plant, but more slender and less branched, with much fewer laxly placed leaves. Leaves erect or spreading, seldom recurved, ¼–½ in. long or more, narrow oblong-obovate, obtuse or subacute, narrowed into a short petiole, dark-green and veinless above, midrib obsolete beneath, hardly coriaceous; margins flat or recurved. Flowers similar to those of F. Bidwillii, but rather narrower. Capsule narrow-clavate. —Handb. N.Z. Fl. 167; Berggr. l.c. t. 2, f. 21 to 39.
North and South Islands: Mountain districts from the Ruahine Range, southwards; not uncommon. 1500–4500 ft. December–March. |