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Manual of the New Zealand Flora.
2. Pratia, Gaud
2. Pratia, Gaud.
Slender prostrate or creeping herbs, rarely ascending or erect. Leaves alternate, toothed. Peduncles axillary, 1-flowered. Flowers rather small, often unisexual. Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary, limb 5-partite. Corolla oblique, split to the base at the back, 2-lipped; upper lip 2-partite, lower lip 3-lobed, spreading. Staminal tube free from the corolla or nearly so; anthers cohering, 2 lower tipped with short bristles, 3 upper naked. Ovary 2-celled; ovules numerous; stigma 2-lobed or emarginate. Berry globose or obovoid, crowned by the persistent calyx-lobes, indehiscent. Seeds numerous, minute.
A small genus of 16 or 18 species, having its headquarters in Australia, but extending northwards to the Himalaya Mountains and eastwards to New Zealand and temperate South America. It only differs from Lobelia in the indehiscent more or less succulent fruit.
Stems usually long. Leaves⅕–½ in., orbicular or obovate, obtusely toothed 1. P. angulata. Stems short, densely matted. Leaves 1/12;–1/10; in., oblong, deeply toothed 2. P. perpusilla. Stems stout, matted. Leaves ⅕–⅓ in., coarsely sharply toothed, coriaceous. Corolla-tube cylindrical, swollen below 3. P. macrodon.
| 1. | P. angulata, Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 43.—A very variable slender creeping or prostrate much-branched perennial herb, glabrous or rarely slightly pubescent; stems 2–12 in. long, branches often ascending at the tips. Leaves shortly petiolate, ⅙–½ in. long page 398orbicular or ovate-oblong to obovate, obtusely sinuate-dentate, membranous or rather fleshy. Peduncles variable in length, ½–4 in., slender, erect. Flowers ⅓–⅔ in. long, white with purple streaks. Calyx-tube oblong; lobes narrow-triangular. Corolla-tube short, the 3 lower lobes spreading, the 2 upper rather smaller and narrower, ascending. Anthers glabrous, the 2 lower ones tipped with minute bristles. Berry globose or broadly ovoid, ⅓–½ in. diam., purplish-red. Seeds numerous.—Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 157; Handb. N.Z. Fl. 172. Lobelia angulata, Forst. Prod. n. 309; A. Rich. Fl. Nouv. Zel. 227; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 422; Raoul, Choix, 45. L. littoralis, R. Cunn. ex A. Cunn. Precur. n. 423. L. rugulosa, R. Grah. in Edinb. N. Phil. Journ. (Oct.-Dec., 1829) 186.
Var. arenaria, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 157.—Leaves larger,½–¾in. diam., obscurely toothed. Peduncles very short.—P. arenaria, Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 41, t. 29. North and South Islands, Stewart Island: Common in damp situations throughout, ascending to 4500 ft. Var. arenaria: Auckland Islands and Antipodes Island, also in the extreme south of the South Island. November–February. |
| 2. | P. perpusilla, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 172.—A minute creeping and rooting perennial herb, forming matted patches 1–4 in. diam.; stems branched, wiry, stout for the size of the plant. Leaves minute, sessile or nearly so, 1/12–1/10 in. long, oblong or oblong-ovate, obtuse or acute, deeply toothed, rather thick and fleshy, wrinkled or pitted when dry, glabrous or more or less clothed with short bristly hairs. Flowers ¼ in. long, on short axillary peduncles or almost sessile. Calyx-tube short, usually hairy; lobes subulate-lanceolate, recurved. Corolla-lobes narrow, almost equal, acute, the 2 upper ones ascending. Anthers glabrous or with a few scattered hairs on the back, the 2 lower tipped with a minute bristle. Fruit not seen.—Lobelia perpusilla, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 158.
North Island: Lower Waikato, H. Carse! Lake Whangape, T. F. C.; outlet of Lake Taupo, Petrie! Lake Waikaremoana, A. Hamilton! Hawke's Bay, Colenso! Bishop Williams! near Opunake, T. Kirk! November–January. Probably not uncommon, but easily overlooked. I have seen no specimens from the South Island. In the absence of fruit it is impossible to be certain of the genus, but the habit is more that of Pratia than of Lobelia. |
| 3. | P. macrodon, Hook. f. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 172.—A small perfectly glabrous rather fleshy creeping and rooting perennial herb; stems stout, branched, 1–4 in. long, often forming matted patches. Leaves very shortly petioled or almost sessile, ⅕–⅓ in. long, broadly obovate or orbicular or broader than long, cuneate at the base, deeply and coarsely 4–8-toothed, thick and coriaceous, quite page 399 glabrous. Flowers on very short axillary peduncles or almost sessile, large, ½–¾ in. long, pale-yellow, sweet-scented. Calyx-tube broadly turbinate; lobes narrow-triangular. Corolla ⅓–½ in. long; tube very long, cylindrical, swollen at the base; lobes short, spreading or recurved. Anthers glabrous, the 2 lower each tipped with a flat rigid bristle with some smaller ones at its base. Berry globose, ¼–⅓ in. diam. Seeds very numerous, minute.
South Island: Nelson—Gordon's Nob, Raglan Mountains, Wairau Gorge, T. F. C.; Acheron and Clarence Valleys, Travers; Mount Murchison, W. Townson! Mount Percival, T. F. C. Canterbury—Mount Torlesse, Haast! Enys! Petrie! T. F. C.; mountains at the head of the Broken River, Enys! Arthur's Pass and Waimakariri Glacier, Kirk! T. F. C. Otago—Mount Car-drona and the Hector Mountains, Petrie! 3000–5500 ft. December–February. A very distinct species, at once recognised by the long cylindrical corolla-tube. |