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Manual of the New Zealand Flora.
2. Nertera, Banks and Sol
2. Nertera, Banks and Sol.
Small slender creeping perennial herbs. Leaves opposite, glabrous or sparsely pilose. Stipules small, interpetiolar. Flowers solitary, axillary or terminal, sessile or very shortly pedicelled, hermaphrodite. Calyx-limb truncate or very obscurely 4-toothed. Corolla tubular or funnel-shaped, 4–5-lobed; lobes valvate. Stamens page 2644 or 5, inserted at the base of the corolla-tube; filaments long, filiform; anthers large, far-exserted, usually pendulous. Ovary 2-celled; styles 2, filiform, free nearly to the base, hirsute; ovules solitary in each cell. Drupe globose or ovoid, fleshy, containing 2 1-seeded pyrenes.
A small genus of 7 or 8 species, found in Australia and New Zealand, Java, the Philippine Islands, Andine and Antarctic South America, and Tristan d'Acunha.
| Perfectly glabrous. Leaves broad-ovate | 1. N. depresses,. |
| Perfectly glabrous. Leaves narrow-ovate | 2. N. Cunning-hamii. |
| Hairy or villous. Leaves cordate-ovate. Corolla short, ⅛in. long | 3. N. dichondrœ-folia. |
| Hispid. Leaves ovate or oblong. Corolla long, ⅓–½ in., tubular | 4. N. setulosa. |
| 1. | N. depressa, Banks and Sol. ex Gœrtn. Fruct. i. 124, t. 26.— A slender glabrous perennial, very variable in size, often forming broad matted patches; stems 2–12 in. long, creeping and rooting at the nodes. Leaves ¼–½ in. long, broadly ovate or almost orbicular, acute or obtuse, rounded or truncate or almost cordate at the base, quite glabrous; petioles equalling the blade or shorter. Stipules small. Flowers very small and inconspicuous, solitary, terminal, sessile. Calyx-limb truncate or nearly so. Corolla 1/10 in. long, broadly funnel-shaped, 4-lobed. Drupe globose or broader than long, red.—Forst. Proclr. n. 501; A. Cunn. Precur. n. 481; Raoul,. Choix, 46; Hook. f. Fl. Antarct. i. 23; Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 112;. Handb. N.Z. Fl. 120; Benth. Fl. Austral. iii. 431; Kirk, Students' Fl. 246. N. montana, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxviii. (1896) 595.
North Island: Ruabine Range, Colenso. South Island, Stewart Island,. Auckland Islands: Abundant throughout, chiefly in mountain districts. Ascends to 4000 ft. October–January. Also found in Australia and Tasmania, South America, and Tristan d'Acunha. The leaves very rarely have a few sparse hairs on the upper surface. |
| 2. | N. Cunninghamii, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 112.—Perfectly glabrous. Stems much more slender than in N. depressa, almost, filiform, 4–18 in. long. Leaves ¼–⅓ in. long, narrow-ovate, acute, rounded at the base; petioles about as long as the blade. Stipules, small, acute. Flowers very minute, terminal. Calyx-limb truncate or obsoletely 4-toothed. Corolla shorter and broader than in N. depressa, 1/12 in. long, 4-lobed. Stamens usually erect. Drupe globose, red, ⅛ in. diam.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 120; Kirk, Students' Fl. 247. ? N. papillosa, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxviii. (1896) 595.
North Island: Mongonui and Kaitaia southwards to Cook Strait, but often local. South Island: Near Westport, Townson! October–January. This differs from the preceding species only in the more slender habit, narrower leaves, and slightly smaller drupe. It is said to occur in the Philippine Islands. page 265 |
| 3. | N. dichondraefolia, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 112, t. 28A.—A slender creeping herb, often forming extensive matted patches. Stems 4 in. to 2 ft. long, branched, more or less hairy or villous with soft tawny hairs, rarely nearly glabrous. Leaves with the petioles ¼–¾ in. long, broadly ovate or almost orbicular, acute or apiculate, cordate or rounded at the base, membranous, more or less hispid or hairy above, usually glabrous or nearly so beneath; petiole longer or shorter than the blade. Stipules acute. Flowers terminal, sessile. Calyx-limb obscurely 4-toothed. Corolla ⅛ in. long, funnel-shaped, 4-lobed. Drupe globose, red, ⅙ in. diam.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 120; Kirk, Students' Fl. 247. N. gracilis, Raoul in Ann. Sci. Nat. ii. (1844) 121. N. ciliata, Kirk, Students' Fl. 247. Geophila dichondraefolia, A. Cunn. Precur. n. 482.
North and South Islands, Stewart Island: Abundant from Mongonui and Kaitaia southwards. Sea-level to nearly 3000 ft. October–December. Very variable in size, amount of hairiness, &c. Small specimens are sometimes almost glabrous, while large laxly branched ones are often copiously villous. Mr. Kirk's N. ciliata, which he distinguished by the ciliate leaves and shorter petioles, appears to me to be a trivial form only. |
| 4. | N. setulosa, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 112, t. 28B.—Very variable in size, more or less hispid with short stiff hairs. Stems creeping and rooting, 3–12 in. long, putting up numerous leafy suberect branches 1–6 in. high or more. Leaves ¼–¾ in., broadly ovate or orbicular to oblong or oblong-obovate, obtuse, membranous, laxly clothed with stiff white hairs; margins ciliate; petiole shorter than the blade. Flowers axillary or terminal, very slender, ⅓–½ in. long. Calyx-tube densely hispid; limb unequally 4–5-toothed. Corolla very long, tubular, hispid, 4–5-toothed; teeth erect. Filaments very long, wiry, far-exserted; anthers apiculate, sagittate at the base. Styles long. Drupe usually dry, ⅛–⅛ in. long, oblong, obscurely ribbed, hispid.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 120; Kirk, Students' Fl. 247. N. pusilla, Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xvi. (1884) 331.
North Island: Auckland—North Cape district, Adams and T. F. C.; Kaitaia, R. H. Matthews! between Kaihu and Maunganui Bluff, Petrie! T. F. C.; Patetere Plateau, T. F. C. Hawke's Bay—Dannevirke and Norse-wood, Colenso! Wellington — Wairarapa, Colenso! near Wellington, Kirk! South Island: Otago—Plentiful, Petrie! Thomson! Stewart Island: Kirk! November–January. Very distinct from the three preceding species, and at once recognised by the long tubular corolla. The Australian N. reptans, P. Muell., should probably be united with it. The flowers are strongly proterogynous and possibly dimorphic as well. |