New Zealand Journal of Botany abstracts

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Novelties in Australian Epilobium (Onagraceae)

Keith R. West

Botany Division, DS1R, Private Bag, Christchurch, New Zealand

Peter H. Raven

Missouri Botanical Garden, 2345 Tower Grove Ave, St Louis, Mo. 63110, U.S.A.

Abstract Epilobium perpusillum Hausskn. (Onagraceae) has been recognised as a distinct Tas-manian endemic on the basis of newly collected material; a full description and illustrations are provided. It is the fourty-sixth native Australasian species of Epilobium, the fifth known to be endemic to Australia, and the second endemic to Tasmania. Also, Epilobium brunnes-cens (Cockayne) Raven & Engelhorn subsp. beaugleholei West & Raven is described as new from a locality in Victoria, Australia; the species was formerly thought to be confined to New Zealand and Macquarie Island. These taxa resemble one another in habit, creeping and rooting beyond the point at which flowers are produced; their leaves are all opposite. Their presence in Australia suggests that a characteristic group of New Zealand species, including E. brunnescens and E. nerteroides A. Cunn., originated in Australia. Both taxa considered in this paper are here reported to have the gametic chromosome number n = 18 like all other members of Epilobium sect. Epilobium.

Received 24 August 1976
New Zealand Journal of Botany, 1977, Vol. 15: 503-9.

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (1036K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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