New Zealand Journal of Botany abstracts
Clianthus (Fabaceae) in New Zealand: a reappraisal of Colenso's
taxonomy
P. B. HEENAN
Landcare Research
P.O. Box 69
Lincoln, New Zealand
Abstract Two species of
Clianthus are accepted as
endemic to New Zealand.
Clianthus puniceus refers to plants with matt,
grey-green, and narrow leaves, and light salmon-red or salmon-pink flowers.
Clianthus maximus, described by W. Colenso in 1885, is reinstated at
species rank.
Clianthus maximus is distinguished from
C. puniceus
by its leaves, which are glossy, green, and broad, and its flower which is
significantly larger and a dark salmon-red, red, or orange-red colour. The
glossiness of
C. maximus leaves results from a thick layer of
epicuticular waxes; in
C. puniceus the matt surface results from the
cuticle which is ornamented with a reticulum of buttressed ridges. The two
species are considered to be threatened, with
C. maximus having a rank
of vulnerable, whereas
C. puniceus is critically endangered.
Keywords Fabaceae; Clianthus; C. maximus; C.
puniceus; taxonomy; conservation; New Zealand flora
B99045
Received 2 September 1999; accepted 1 December 1999
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (1349K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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