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Manual of the New Zealand Flora.
3. Hymenanthera, R. Br
3. Hymenanthera, R. Br.
Rigid woody shrubs. Leaves alternate or fascicled, entire or 'toothed; stipules minute, fugacious. Flowers small, regular, hermaphrodite or unisexual, solitary or fascicled, axillary or on the naked branches below the leaves. Sepals 5, obtuse, united at the base. Petals 5, rounded at the tip. Anthers 5, sessile, connate into a tube surrounding the pistil; connectives terminating in a toothed or fimbriate process, and furnished with an erect scale at the back. Style short; stigma 2-fid, rarely 3–4-fid. Fruit a small subglobose berry; seeds usually 2, rarely 3–4.
A small genus of about half a dozen species, found in New Zealand, Australia and Tasmania, and Norfolk Island. The New Zealand species are exceedingly difficult of discrimination. They vary greatly in the leaves and vegetative characters generally; and the flowers and fruit, so far as they are known, are very similar in all. Most of them occur in localities which are not easily reached, making it difficult to secure specimens in a proper state for comparison.
Much - branched rigid maritime shrub. Leaves small, linear-spathulate or linear-obovate,⅓ 1 in. long 1. H. crassifolia. Shrub, often leafless. Branches flexuous or zigzag, interlaced. Leaves linear or linear-cuneate, ¼–¾ in. long 2. H. dentata, var. angustifolia. Slender glabrous shrub. Leaves oblong-obovate, ¾–2 in. long, quite entire. Flowers solitary or geminate 3. H. obovata. Stout spreading shrub. Leaves large, 1½–4 in., ovate-oblong to obovate, sinuate-toothed. Flowers numerous. Berry 2-seeded 4. H. latifolia. Tall erect shrub. Leaves large, 3–5 in., lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, serrate. Flowers numerous. Berry 4-seeded 5. H. chathamica.
| 1. | H. crassifolia, Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 17, t. 7.—A low rigid much-branched shrub 2–4 ft. in height; branches tortuous, stout and woody; bark white, furrowed; branchlets pubescent. Leaves alternate or fascicled, very thick and coriaceous, ⅓–1½ in. long, linear-spathulate or linear-obovate, entire sinuate or toothed, rarely lobed, rounded at the apex or retuse; petioles very short. Stipules minute, fugacious. Flowers very small, solitary or few together, page 49axillary; peduncles shorter than the flowers, decurved, with one or two broad concave bracts below one middle. Sepals orbicular, with fimbriate margins. Petals narrow-oblong, obtuse, recurved at the apex. Anthers 5, the broad membranous connectives connate into a tube which has a fimbriate projection above each anther and a broad scale at the back. Ovary 1-celled; style 2-fid. Berry purplish, broadly oblong, ⅙–¼ in. diam.; seeds 2.—Handb. N.Z. Fl. 18; Kirk, Students' Fl. 44. Scævola (?) novæ-zealandiæ, A. Cunn. Precur. n. 429.
North Island: Maritime rocks opposite the Cavallos Islands, R. Cunn.; Cape Palliser, Colenso! Port Nicholson, Kirk! South Island: Coast between Nelson and Croixelles Harbour, Kirk! T. F. C.; Pelorus Sound, J. Rutland; Banks Peninsula, Armstrong. Otago—Hampden, Moeraki, Dunedin, Balclutha, Petrie! Stewart Island: Kirk. October–November. A variable plant. One of Mr. Colenso's Cape Palliser specimens has slender branches bearing ovate-rhomboid leaves 1 in. long, the same branch also having linear-obovate leaves of the ordinary type. |
| 2. | H. dentata, R. Br., var. angustifolia, Benth. Fl. Austral. i. 104.—A much-branched frequently leafless rigid shrub, in sheltered situations 4–8 ft. high, with flexuous or zigzag often interlaced branches; in exposed or alpine places shorter and much dwarfed, with the branches densely compacted and ending in stout thorns. Branchlets terete or grooved, covered with minute lenticels. Leaves few or many, often altogether wanting, alternate or fascicled, ¼–¾ in. long, linear or linear-cuneate or linear-obovate, obtuse or retuse. entire or sinuate or irregularly lobed, varying from almost membranous to thick and coriaceous, narrowed into very short petioles. Flowers minute, solitary or geminate, on very short decurved peduncles, diæcious. Male flowers: Sepals rounded, with fimbriate margins. Petals twice as long as the sepals, linear-oblong, recurved at the tips. Connective of the anthers with a narrow appendage toothed or fimbriate at the tip, and an oblong scale at the back. Females: Calyx and petals of the males, but rather smaller. Abortive anthers present. Style 2-fid. Berry 2-seeded; seeds oblong, flat on the inner face, convex on the outer. —Kirk, Students' Fl. 44.
Var. alpina, Kirk, l.c.—Much depressed, 1–2 ft. in diam., forming a mass of densely compacted short and thick spinous branches. Leaves ⅙–⅓ in. long, oblong-or linear-obovate, very thick and coriaceous. North Island: Wellington—Turangarere, A. Hamilton! Upper Rangi-tikei, Petrie! South Island: Nelson—Wairoa Valley, Bryant! Wangapeka Valley, Wairau Gorge, T. F. C. Canterbury—J. B. Armstrong. Otago— Paradise, near Mount Earnslaw, Kirk! Catlin's River, Kelso, Petrie! Win-ton, B. C. Aston! Var. alpina: Broken River, Canterbury, Kirk! Enys! T. F. C. Also found in Tasmania. In its usual state this curious plant is best distinguished from H. crassifolia by the more slender frequently leafless branches, which are usually thickly dotted with minute lenticels, and by the narrower leaves. The Nelson specimens, which are the only ones I have seen in flower, are certainly diæcious, but Tasmanian specimens are said to be hermaphrodite. page 50 |
| 3. | H. obovata, T. Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxvii. (1895) 350.— An erect glabrous shrub 4–12 ft. in height, in sheltered places slender and sparingly branched, in more exposed situations forming a compactly branched bush. Leaves of mature plants ¾–2 in. long, obovate or oblong-obovate, thick and coriaceous, obtuse or retuse, quite entire, gradually narrowed into a short petiole; margins slightly recurved. Leaves of seedling plants membranous, obovate-cuneate, toothed or lobed. Flowers small, solitary or geminate, axillary or on the branches below the leaves, apparently diæcious, but not seen in a state fit for description. Berry ovoid, purplish, 2-seeded; seeds plano-convex.—Students' Fl. 44.
South Island: Nelson—Between Takaka and Riwaka, Kirk! Graham River, Mount Arthur, Mount Owen, T. F. C. Marlborough—Queen Charlotte Sound, Banks and Solander! Canterbury—Broken River, Kirk! Ashburton Mountains, T. H. Potts! Altitudinal range from 1000 to 4000 ft. November. A well-marked plant, at once recognised by the usually slender habit, strict branches, and entire obovate leaves. It is generally found on limestone rocks. |
| 4. | H. latifolia, Endl. Prodr. Fl. Ins. Norfolk, 70.—A stout sparingly branched shrub 3–10 ft. high; branches erect or straggling; bark covered with minute lenticels. Leaves alternate, variable in size and shape, 1½–4 in. long, ovate or ovate-lanceolate to obovate or obovate-oblong, coriaceous, obtuse or subacute, narrowed into a short stout petiole, sinuate or sinuate-serrate, rarely-entire; margin thickened, slightly recurved; veins reticulate. Flowers diæcious, fascicled, 1/10 in. diam. Males: Often very numerous and clustered on the branches for a considerable length; pedicels decurved, bracteolate about the middle. Sepals ovate, obtuse, free almost to the base. Petals twice as long as the sepals, linear-oblong, erect at the base, revolute at the tips. Anthers 5; connectives produced into a long and narrow projection above each anther which is almost as long as the anther and jagged at the tip. Females: Smaller and less numerous, on shorter pedicels, usually erect. Sepals and petals as in the males. Ovary ovoid; stigmas 2. Berry broadly ovoid or nearly globose, purplish; seeds-2, plano-convex, grooved on the convex face, with a large strophiole. —Kirk, Students' Fl. 45. H. latifolia var. tasmanica, Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. iii. 163.
North Island: Three Kings Islands, T. F. C.; North Cape Peninsula, Buchanan! Kirk! T. F. C.; Taranga Islands, Kirk! T. F. C.; Great Barrier and adjacent islets, Kirk! Little Barrier Island, Kirk, T, F. C. Miss Shakespear! Waiheke Island, rare, Kirk; Cuvier Island, T. F. C.; Shoe Island, J. Adams! August–September. Also in Norfolk Island. The identification of this plant with the Norfolk Island H. latifolia must not be considered as proved until specimens from both localities have been compared. The large broad leaves and numerous flowers separate it from its. New Zealand allies. page 51 |
| 5. | H. chathamica, T. Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxviii. (1896) 514.—An erect glabrous shrub; bark furrowed, dotted with minute lenticels. Leaves alternate, 2–5 in. long, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, coriaceous, acute, narrowed into a short petiole, sharply toothed; margins thickened; veins reticulate on both surfaces. Flowers in crowded fascicles along the branches, diæcious; pedicels slender, longer than the flowers, decurved. Male flowers: Sepals ovate, free almost to the base. Petals more than twice as long as the sepals, revolute at the tips. Anthers with a lanceolate jagged connective more than half as long as the cells; dorsal scale cuneate-spathulate. Female flowers not seen. Berry ovoid or subglobose, white, usually 4-seeded. Seeds angled, outer surface convex; strophiole small.—Students' Fl. 45. H. latifolia var. chathamica, F. Muell. Veg. Chatham Is. 9.
North Island: Wellington— Patea, Hector! Chatham Islands: Capt. G. Mair! H. H. Travers! F. A. D. Cox! Mahoe. September–October. There is little to separate this from the preceding except the longer and narrower sharply toothed leaves and the 4-seeded berry, and I doubt the constancy of this latter character. Sir James Hector's Patea specimens have neither flowers nor fruit, but appear to belong to the same species. |