Taxonomic notes on the New Zealand flora: lectotypes in Isoetaceae and Lycopodiaceae

ABSTRACT

Within the Lycopodiopsida, Lycopodiaceae is a medium-sized family of lycophytes in New Zealand with five genera and 11 indigenous species, and Isoetaceae is a small family with one genus and two species. Fourteen lectotypes are chosen for basionyms relevant to New Zealand – Isoetes alpina Kirk, Lycopodium australianum Herter, L. billardierei Spring, L. consimile Colenso, L. curvifolium Colenso, L. distans Colenso, L. drummondii Spring, L. lessonianum A.Rich., L. novozealandicum Colenso, L. sanguisorba Spring, L. serpentinum Kunze, L. varium var. gracile Kirk, L. varium var. polaris Kirk, and Phylloglossum drummondii Kunze. No type material has been found for Lycopodium decurrens Colenso, and the type for this remains undesignated. Lectotypes need to be chosen for all names at specific and subspecific rank, for which no holotype was designated by the original author, in order to fix the application of the name concerned. Justification for the choice is provided in each case. This article is a contribution towards clarifying the taxonomic and nomenclatural status of New Zealand plants for the plant names database (Ngā Tipu Aotearoa) and the electronic Flora of New Zealand.

KEYWORDS:

• Huperzia
• Isoetes
• Lycopodiella
• Lycopodium
• Phlegmariurus
• Phylloglossum

Introduction

The lycophyte family Lycopodiaceae is currently represented in New Zealand by five genera and 11 indigenous species – Huperzia australiana (Herter) Holub, Lycopodiella cernua (L.) Pic.Serm., L. diffusa (R.Br.) B.Øllg., L. lateralis (R.Br.) B.Øllg., L. serpentina (Kunze) B.Øllg., Lycopodium deuterodensum Herter, L. fastigiatum R.Br., L. scariosum G.Forst., L. volubile G.Forst., Phlegmariurus varius (R.Br.) A.R.Field & Bostock, and Phylloglossum drummondii Kunze. The classification of Lycopodiaceae used here follows Øllgaard (1987) and Field et al. (2016), but the choice of classification for the electronic Flora treatment will be discussed there. The family Isoetaceae is represented by two species – I. alpina Kirk and I. kirkii A.Br. (Brownsey & Perrie in press).

The synonymy for these families includes 35 basionyms that are relevant to New Zealand. In order to fix the application of these names, their types need to be clarified. Lectotypes have previously been chosen for 14 of these (see Table 1), and holotypes identified and documented for another six basionyms by Brownsey & Perrie (in prep.). Lectotypes for 14 of the remaining basionyms are selected here as part of a series on New Zealand’s indigenous ferns (Brownsey & Parris 2012; Brownsey & Perrie 2012, 2013, 2014a, 2014b, 2015a, 2015b, 2016a, 2016b, 2016c, 2017; Perrie & Brownsey 2015) clarifying the taxonomic and nomenclatural status of New Zealand plants for the plant names database (Ngā Tipu Aotearoa) (http://nzflora.landcareresearch.co.nz/default.aspx?NavControl = search&selected = NameSearch) and the electronic Flora of New Zealand (http://www.nzflora.info/). No type material has been found for Lycopodium decurrens Colenso.

Table 1. Basionyms of New Zealand Lycopodiaceae for which holotypes have previously been identified or lectotypes designated.

Basionym	Type
Isoetes kirkii A.Braun	Holotype documented by Brownsey & Perrie (in prep.)
Isoetes multiangularis Colenso	Holotype documented by Brownsey & Perrie (in prep.)
Lycopodium cernuum L.	Lectotype designated by Proctor (1977)
Lycopodium cochinchense Herter ex Nessel	Lectotype designated by Øllgaard (1989)
Lycopodium decurrens R.Br.	Lectotype designated by Mabberley & Moore. (in press)
Lycopodium densum Labill.	Lectotype designated by Øllgaard (1989)
Lycopodium diffusum R.Br.	Lectotype designated by Mabberley & Moore. (in press)
Lycopodium fastigiatum R.Br.	Lectotype designated by Mabberley & Moore (in press)
Lycopodium laterale R.Br.	Lectotype designated by Mabberley & Moore (in press)
Lycopodium magellanicum var. berggrenii Herter ex Nessel	Holotype documented by Brownsey & Perrie (in prep.)
Lycopodium pachystachyum Desv. ex Poir.	Holotype documented by Brownsey & Perrie (in prep.)
Lycopodium polycephalum Colenso	Holotype documented by Brownsey & Perrie (in prep.)
Lycopodium ramulosum Kirk	Lectotype designated by Allan (1961)
Lycopodium scariosum G.Forst.	Lectotype designated by Nicolson & Fosberg (2003)
Lycopodium scopulosum Colenso	Holotype documented by Brownsey & Perrie (in prep.)
Lycopodium varium R.Br.	Lectotype designated by Chinnock (1998); see also Mabberley & Moore (in press)
Lycopodium varium var. alpinum R.Br.	Lectotype designated by Chinnock (1998); see also Mabberley & Moore (in press)
Lycopodium volubile G.Forst.	Lectotype designated by Nicolson & Fosberg (2003)
Urostachys cockaynei Herter ex Nessel	Lectotype designated by Øllgaard (1989)
Urostachys helmii Nessel	Lectotype designated by Øllgaard (1989)

Materials and methods

Herbarium abbreviations follow Thiers (2018). Type material was sought in herbaria known to house the main collections of relevant authors – AK, K and WELT for William Colenso and Thomas Kirk; BONN for Hermann Nessel; BR, LG and P for Spring. Other material was accessed in B, BM, K, P and S. Images of some of the types can be viewed through the relevant institutional websites or JSTOR Global Plants (http://plants.jstor.org). Syntypes for each species comprise only single morphological entities unless otherwise stated.

Lectotypifications

Isoetes alpina Kirk, Trans. & Proc. New Zealand Inst. 7: 377, t. 25 (1875)

Lectotype (designated here): [New Zealand], Lake Guyon, W.T.L. Travers s.n., WELT P003771!

Notes: Isoetes alpina was described by Kirk (1875) from specimens collected by Hutton and Travers in Lake Guyon, Nelson, and given to Kirk by Travers. A ‘very imperfect specimen’ collected by Sven Berggren in Lake Pearson was also attributed to this species. There are two collections in WELT from Lake Guyon collected by W.T.L. Travers and labelled ‘Isoetes alpinus’ in Kirk’s handwriting. WELT P003771 is in Kirk’s own herbarium, but WELT P003758 is said to be from the D. Petrie Herbarium (although there is little evidence for this, and the paper, nature of the labelling and handwriting all suggest that it actually came from Kirk’s herbarium). In K (001094248) there is a specimen collected by Berggren in February 1874 from Lake Pearson annotated ‘rec’d 2/79’. Although Berggren’s collection is referred to by Kirk in the protologue, it is unclear as to whether he saw this particular specimen prior to publication of I. alpina, as it is hardly an ‘imperfect specimen’. Of the two collections from Lake Guyon, there is some slight doubt about the provenance of WELT P003758. In any case, WELT P003771 is a much more complete specimen, including megaspores, and is here designated as the lectotype.

Lycopodium australianum Herter, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 43, Beibl. 98: 42 (1909) ≡ Huperzia australiana (Herter) Holub, Folia Geobot. Phytotax. 20: 70 (1985)

Lectotype (designated here): I.D.L. [Insula Diemen’s Land = Tasmania], 1833, Gunn 328, K 001193763 (!online).

Notes: Lycopodium australianum was described by Herter (1909) who cited over 20 collections from Borneo, Sumatra, Celebes, Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand, with about half of them from New Zealand. Most of the cited collections are at K, with a smaller number in P, but some have not been located. The following have been examined in herbaria or seen online: Borneo, Kinabalu, G.D. Haviland 1411, K 000698086; Australia, Munyang Mts, F. von Mueller, K 001193754–5; Insula Van Diemen, R. Gunn, K 001193753; I.D.L. [Insula Diemens Land], R. Gunn 328, 329, 330, 1833, K 001193763–4; Van Diemens Land, 1831, K 001193756; Tasmania, W. Archer, P 00523003 (annotated lectotype by J.M. Beitel, Aug. 1983); New Zealand, Ruahine Mts, Colenso, K 001193761; New Zealand, Motukino, T. Kirk 526, Feb. 1872, K 001193760; New Zealand, Prov. Canterbury, Sinclair & Haast 110, 1860-61, K 001193757; New Zealand, Prov. Canterbury, Sinclair & Haast 164, 1860-61, K 001193758; New Zealand, Dr Haast, March 1866, K 001193759; New Zealand, Greymouth, R. Helms, P 00523004–5; New Zealand, R. Helms, 1887, P 00523006. All of the collections except Gunn 330 (K 01193762) [=Phlegmariurus varius] are consistent with Herter’s protologue and are candidates for lectotype. The Archer specimen from Tasmania (P 00523003) was labelled as the lectotype by J.M. Beitel in August 1983, but this choice of an incomplete specimen appears not to have been published and therefore has no validity. The largest and most complete specimen overall is Gunn 328 from Tasmania, Australia (K 001193763) and it is designated here as the lectotype.

Lycopodium billardierei Spring, Nouv. Mém. Acad. Roy. Sci. Bruxelles 15: 56 (1841) = Phlegmariurus varius (R.Br.) A.R.Field & Bostock

Lectotype (designated here): Nlle Zélande [New Zealand], Voy. de l’Astrolabe, 1826-1829, Lesson, P 01228213!

Notes: Lycopodium billardierei was described by Spring (1841) from collections made in Australia by Labillardière (Herb. Jussieu, and Herb. Webb) and at King George Sound by Guichenot (P), in New Ireland by Labillardière (Herb. Webb), and in New Zealand by Lesson (P). The Labillardière collection from Australia (Herb. Jussieu 645-A) is not consistent with Spring’s protologue in that it appears to be terrestrial rather than pendulous, and the stem divides only twice rather than 4-6 times. The Guichenot collection from King George Sound (P 00527000) is sterile, and Spring (1841) noted that it differed somewhat from L. billardierei. The only lycophytes recorded from south-west Australia are Lycopodiella serpentina and Phylloglossum drummondii (Chinnock 1998), and the identity of Guichenot’s specimen is therefore uncertain. The Labillardière collection from New Ireland (P 01238605) is typical of the Phlegmariurus varius complex, but the species is not known to occur in the subequatorial tropics and the locality is probably an error. There are three Lesson specimens from New Zealand in P. The first, in Herb. Richard, is from Baie des Iles [Bay of Islands], the second is labelled only ‘Nov. Zelandia (Astrolabe), M. Lesson’, and the third is labelled ‘Nlle Zelande, Voy. de l’Astrolabe, 1826-1829, M.A. Lesson’ (P 01228213). The first two are labelled ‘Lycopodium flagellaria’, a misidentification used by Richard (1832) for pendulous New Zealand plants in this complex, and noted in Spring’s protologue. All three have been annotated subsequently as ‘Urost. billardierei (Spring) Hert.’, possibly by W.G. Herter. The specimens are highly divided and obviously pendulous, and thus consistent with Spring’s protologue. The third collection (P 01228213) is labelled ‘Lycopodium billardieri’ [billardierei], has been identified by Herter, and shows the characters of the species very convincingly. It is here designated the lectotype.

Lycopodium consimile Colenso, Trans. & Proc. New Zealand Inst. 16: 348 (1884) = Lycopodiella lateralis (R.Br.) B.Øllg., Opera Bot. 92: 176 (1987)

Lectotype (designated here): [New Zealand], Great Barrier Island, C.P. W[inkelmann], WELT P003375/A-B!

Notes: Lycopodium consimile was described by Colenso (1884) from material collected by C. P. Winkelmann at White Cliffs, Great Barrier Island. There is a collection in WELT (on two sheets, P003375/A-B) labelled ‘Lycopod. consimilis Col., Great Barrier, C.P.W.’, and another in K (001094139) labelled ‘Lycopodium consimilis Col., sp. nov., vid. descript.’, both in Colenso’s hand-writing. The specimens on all sheets are fertile, very similar in appearance and could have resulted from a single gathering, although this is not known with certainty. The specimen at WELT is designated here as the lectotype because of the more precise locality information.

Lycopodium curvifolium Colenso, Trans. & Proc. New Zealand Inst. 20: 234 (1888) nom. illeg., non Lycopodium curvifolium Kunze (1834) = Lycopodium fastigiatum R.Br., Prodr. Fl. Nov. Holl. 165 (1810)

Lectotype (designated here): [New Zealand], East Cape District, Chambers, Herb. Colenso, WELT P003376/A-B!

Notes: Lycopodium curvifolium was described by Colenso (1888) from material collected by W.K. Chambers in the County of Cook, north of Gisborne, in 1887. There is a collection in WELT (on two sheets, P003376/A-B) labelled ‘Lycopodium curvifolium sp. nov. Colenso’ in Colenso’s hand-writing, and ‘East Cape District, Chambers’ in Cheeseman’s writing. Another collection in K (001094141) is also labelled ‘Lycopodium curvifolium Col., sp. nov.’ and ‘Trans. N.Z. Instit., vol. XX’ in Colenso’s writing, and ‘com. W. Colenso 5/1890’ in a different hand. Both collections are fertile. A third collection in the Cheeseman Herbarium (AK 1020) is labelled ‘near Gisborne, W.K. Chambers ex W. Colenso, type of L. curvifolium Col.’, but comprises only two sterile aerial shoots. The specimen at WELT is designated here as the lectotype because it is fertile and has more precise locality information.

Lycopodium distans Colenso, Trans. & Proc. New Zealand Inst. 20: 236 (1888) = Lycopodium scariosum G.Forst., Fl. Ins. Austr. 87 (1786)

Lectotype (designated here): [New Zealand], High land north of Gisborne, W.K. Chambers, AK 1031!

Notes: Lycopodium distans was described by Colenso (1888) from material collected by W.K. Chambers in the County of Cook, north of Gisborne, in 1887. There is a collection in WELT (P002633) labelled ‘Lycopod. distans’ in Colenso’s hand-writing, and ‘near Gisborne, W.K. Chambers’ in Cheeseman’s writing. It comprises two small sterile pieces of the aerial stem. Another collection (WELT P003377) is labelled ‘Lycopodium distans Colenso, sp. nov.’ in Colenso’s writing but has no other collection data. It bears two fragmentary pieces of aerial stem, one of which has a single strobilus. A sheet in K (001094131) is labelled ‘Lycopodium distans Col., (sp. nov.)’ and ‘Trans. N.Z. Instit., Vol. XX’ in Colenso’s writing, as well as ‘com. W. Colenso 5/1890’ in a different hand. It bears two pieces of aerial stem, both of which are fertile. A fourth sheet in the Cheeseman Herbarium (AK 1031) is labelled ‘High land north of Gisborne, W.K. Chambers ex Colenso’ in Cheeseman’s writing and bears a complete fertile aerial stem. The specimen at AK is designated here as the lectotype because it includes a complete and representative specimen, with specific collection locality data.

Lycopodium drummondii Spring, Mém. Acad. Roy. Sci. Belgique 24: 35 (1849) = Lycopodiella serpentina (Kunze) B.Øllg., Opera Bot. 92: 176 (1987)

Lectotype (designated here): New Zealand, Colenso, K 001094155!

Notes: Lycopodium drummondii was described by Spring (1849) from material in Herb. Hookerianum collected by Drummond at the Swan River, Western Australia, and by Colenso in New Zealand. Both collections are mounted on one sheet at K and numbered 001094154 and 001094155. The Colenso material is designated here as the lectotype because it comprises more complete and representative plants than the Drummond collection which is rather fragmentary.

Lycopodium lessonianum A.Rich., Essai Fl. Nouv.-Zél. 59 (1832) = Lycopodium scariosum G.Forst., Fl. Ins. Austr. 87 (1786)

Lectotype (designated here): Nlle Zélande [New Zealand], Herb. Richard, P 00522977 (!online).

Notes: Lycopodium lessonianum was described by Richard (1832) from collections made in New Zealand during Dumont d’Urville’s voyage of 1826–1829 in the Astrolabe. There are three syntype collections in P labelled ‘Nelle Zélande (Astrolabe), Lesson’ (P 00522975!) and ‘Herb. Richard, Nlle Zéland’ (P 00522976, 00522977, !online). The first of these sheets was annotated ‘type’ and the other two as ‘isotype’ by Mary Tindale (23.8.1950). However, it cannot be assumed that these specimens are from the same gathering, and they must therefore be treated as syntypes. In fact, the two specimens from Herb. Richard have a better claim for lectotype because they were presumably used by Richard in drawing up his description. P 00522977 is designated here as lectotype because it is a more complete fertile specimen, unlike P 00522976 which is sterile.

Lycopodium novozealandicum Colenso, Trans. & Proc. New Zealand Inst. 19: 275 (1887) = Phlegmariurus varius (R.Br.) A.R.Field & Bostock

Lectotype (designated here): no locality, com. W. Colenso 5/90, K 00853048 (!online)

Notes: Lycopodium novozealandicum was described by Colenso (1887) from plants he collected at the River Mangatawhainui, near Norsewood in 1886. There are two poorly documented syntype specimens. The first in WELT (P009005) bears a short sterile stem and is labelled only ‘Lycopodium novae-zealandicum Col.’ in Colenso’s hand-writing. The second in K (00853048) bears two short stems, one of them fertile, and is labelled ‘Lycopodium novae-zealandicum Col., Trans. N.Z. Inst., Vol. XIX’ in Colenso’s writing, and ‘com. W. Colenso, 5/90’ in a different hand. Neither specimen has any collection locality, but both are identified in Colenso’s own writing and are original material. K 00853048 is designated here as the lectotype because it includes a fertile specimen, and is related directly to Colenso’s original published description.

Lycopodium sanguisorba Spring, Mém. Acad. Roy. Sci. Belgique 24: 36 (1849) = Phylloglossum drummondii Kunze, Bot. Zeitung (Berlin) 1: 721 (1843)

Lectotype (designated here): [Western Australia], Swan River, Drummond 993, Herb. Hooker., K 001094294!

Notes: Lycopodium sanguisorba was described by Spring (1849) from material in Herb. Hookerianum at K, and in P, collected by Drummond at the Swan River, Australia, and from material collected by J.D. Hooker in New Zealand. There is a syntype specimen in P (01239454) and two more mounted on the same sheet in the Hookers’ Herbarium at K. One comprises five small plants, three of them fertile, collected by Drummond (No. 993) from the Swan River (K 001094294). The other includes 12 larger fertile plants and is labelled ‘Hard peaty soil near the Wytangi [Waitangi] River’ in J.D. Hooker’s writing (K 001094297). The Drummond collection in K (001094294) has been annotated ‘L. sanguisorba Spring’ in Spring’s hand-writing, and is designated here as the lectotype.

Lycopodium serpentinum Kunze in Lehmann, Pl. Preiss. 2: 108 (1846) ≡ Lycopodiella serpentina (Kunze) B.Øllg., Opera Bot. 92: 176 (1987)

Lectotype (designated here): [Western Australia], Albany, Plantagenet, Oct. 1840, Preiss 1881, P 01219525!

Notes: Lycopodium serpentinum was described by Kunze (in Lehmann 1846) from material collected by Preiss (No. 1881) at Albany in Western Australia. There are two syntype specimens in P (01219525 and 01219526) and a third in LD (1227849). Øllgaard (1989) inadvertently lectotypified the Preiss material in P, but did not distinguish between the two sheets held there. The two collections are very similar, but the more complete fertile specimen (P001219525) is designated here as a second-step lectotypification.

Lycopodium varium var. gracile Kirk, Trans. & Proc. New Zealand Inst. 16: 377, t. 29 (1884) = Phlegmariurus varius (R.Br.) A.R.Field & Bostock

Lectotype (designated here): [New Zealand], Maitai Valley, Nelson, T. Kirk, April 1873, WELT P004444! (left-hand specimen).

Notes: Lycopodium varium var. gracile was described by Kirk (1884) from collections made in the Wairarapa Valley by J. Stewart Tandanger, in the Maitai Valley by Dr Boor and Kirk, and from Westport by an un-named collector. There are four syntype collections in WELT – all from the Maitai Valley, Nelson, and collected by Kirk. WELT P000205 is labelled only ‘Maitai Valley, T. Kirk’, whilst WELT P004444, and P004445 additionally have the date ‘April 1873’ and a reference to the original publication ‘Trans. N.Z. Inst. XVI’. WELT P004446 is labelled the same except that the locality is given as ‘Matai Creek’. WELT P004444 also has the annotation ‘specns drawn’ and a drawing signed by ‘A.H.’ (possibly Augustus Hamilton) attached. However, this is not the same illustration as the one published as Pl. XXIX accompanying the original description, which was drawn by L.M. Kirk and which bears some resemblance to the left-hand specimen on WELT P004444. The annotation indicates that this specimen was not only seen by Kirk when drawing up the description, but also used in preparing the accompanying illustration. It is therefore designated here as the lectotype.

Lycopodium varium var. polaris Kirk, Trans. & Proc. New Zealand Inst. 16: 376 (1884) = Phlegmariurus varius (R.Br.) A.R.Field & Bostock

Lectotype (designated here): [New Zealand], Ulva, Patersons Inlet, T. Kirk, Jan. 1882, WELT P004247/A-C!

Notes: Lycopodium varium var. polaris was described by Kirk (1884) but he did not cite any specific collections in the protologue. Rather, he made a general statement about its distribution – ‘Terrestrial, usually inhabiting mountain woods in the North and South Islands; descends to sea-level in Stewart Island, the Auckland Islands and Campbell Islands’. In WELT there are collections labelled as var. polaris in Kirk’s hand-writing from Arthur’s Pass (WELT P004246), Ulva, Paterson’s Inlet, Stewart Island, Jan. 1882 (WELT P004247/A-C, P024697) and from Campbell Island collected by Lt. Rathouis (WELT P004248). All the sheets, except the Arthur’s Pass collection, also have the annotation ‘Trans. N.Z.I. XVI’, referring to the original publication. The Arthur’s Pass collection is annotated ‘epiphytal form’, which is at odds with the statement ‘terrestrial’ in the protologue and suggests that this collection was not part of the original material used by Kirk when drawing up his description. The Campbell Island specimen differs from the original description in that the lower leaves are appressed, rather than spreading. The remaining specimens from Ulva are all consistent with the original description, and WELT P004247, on three sheets, is designated here as the lectotype. WELT P024697 could have been part of the same gathering, but this is not known with certainty.

Phylloglossum drummondii Kunze, Bot. Zeitung (Berlin) 1: 721 (1843)

Lectotype (designated here): Ad fluvium cygnorum Novae Hollandiae [Swan River, Western Australia], 1843, Drummond, Herbarium Shuttleworthianum 993, BM, top left hand numbered specimen, labelled package and labelled specimens (!online).

Notes: Phylloglossum drummondii was described by Kunze (1843) from material collected by Drummond at the Swan River, Western Australia. There are syntype specimens in BM, K (001094294) and P (01239454), but Kunze cited a specimen in the Shuttleworth Herbarium (‘Specimina pauca, partim fertilia, partim sterilia vidi in herbario Shuttleworthiano sub. No. 993 missa et chartae adglutinata’). The Herbarium Shuttleworthianum was purchased by the BM in 1877, with the cryptogam specimens subsequently distributed to K but later returned to BM in 1963. The most clearly annotated specimen, citing the original location, in the Shuttleworth Herbarium at BM, is chosen as the lectotype.

Types not designated

No type material has been located for the following basionym, and its identity remains unresolved.

Lycopodium decurrens Colenso, Trans. & Proc. New Zealand Inst. 28: 617 (1896).

Notes: Lycopodium decurrens was described by Colenso (1896), but is illegitimate because of an earlier homonym (Brown 1810). It has traditionally been included in the synonymy of L. fastigiatum (Cheeseman 1906, 1925; Allan 1961) but no specimens of this taxon are extant in AK, K or WELT, the usual repositories of Colenso collections, and its identity therefore remains uncertain.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to staff at AK, B, BM, BONN, BR, K, LD, LG, MEL, P and WELT for access to collections in their care.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by Core funding for Crown Research Institutes from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Science and Innovation Group (PJB and LRP). ARF was supported by an Australian Biological Resource Study grant RFL215-34 (Lycopodiaceae) and an IPID4all Germany Academic Exchange, Technische Universität Dresden Graduate Academy Project 2015_43.