Taxonomic notes on the New Zealand flora: lectotypes in Dryopteridaceae and Nephrolepidaceae

ABSTRACT

Dryopteridaceae is a large family of ferns with 13 indigenous species in New Zealand, and Nephrolepidaceae a small family with two indigenous species. Five lectotypes are chosen for basionyms relevant to New Zealand – Aspidium cystostegium Hook., Nephrodium decompositum var. pubescens Hook., N. pentangulare Colenso, Polypodium setosum G.Forst., and Polypodium silvaticum Colenso. A neotype is designated for Nephrodium brownii Desv. No type material has been found for Aspidium coriaceum var. acutidentatum A.Rich., and the type for this remains undesignated. Lectotypes or neotypes need to be chosen for all names at specific and infraspecific 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:

• Arachniodes
• Lastreopsis
• Parapolystichum
• Polystichum
• Rumohra

Introduction

Dryopteridaceae, belonging to the order Polypodiales, is a large family of ferns with an estimated 2115 species (PPG 1 2016). It is represented in New Zealand by 13 indigenous taxa – Arachniodes aristata (G.Forst.) Tindale, Lastreopsis hispida (Sw.) Tindale, L. velutina (A.Rich.) Tindale, Parapolystichum glabellum (A.Cunn.) Labiak, Sundue & R.C.Moran, P. kermadecense (Perrie & Brownsey) Perrie & L.D.Sheph., P. microsorum (Endl.) Labiak, Sundue & R.C.Moran, Polystichum cystostegium (Hook.) J.B.Armstr., P. neozelandicum Fée, P. oculatum (Hook.) J.B.Armstr., P. silvaticum (Colenso) Diels, P. vestitum (G.Forst.) C.Presl, P. wawranum (Szyszyl.) Perrie, and Rumohra adiantiformis (G.Forst.) Ching. In addition there are 15 naturalised species, Cyrtomium falcatum (L.f.) C.Presl, Dryopteris affinis (Lowe) Fraser-Jenk., D. carthusiana (Vill.) H.P.Fuchs, D. cycadina (Franch. & Sav.) C.Chr., D. erythrosora (Eaton) Kuntze, D. filix-mas (L.) Schott, D. inaequalis (Schltdl.) Kuntze, D. kinkiensis Koidz. ex Tagawa, D. sieboldii (van Houtte ex Mett.) Kuntze, D. stewartii Fraser-Jenk., Polystichum lentum (D.Don) T.Moore, P. polyblepharum (Roem. ex Kunze) C.Presl, P. proliferum (R.Br.) C.Presl, and P. setiferum (Forssk.) T.Moore ex Woyn. (Brownsey and Perrie in press, a). Nephrolepidaceae is a small family of ferns with an estimated 19 species (PPG 1 2016). It is represented in New Zealand by two indigenous species, Nephrolepis brownii (Desv.) Hovenkamp & Miyam. and N. flexuosa Colenso, and two naturalised species, N. cordifolia (L.) C.Presl and N. exaltata (L.) Schott (Brownsey and Perrie in press, b). The classification of Dryopteridaceae and Nephrolepidaceae used here follows PPG 1 (2016).

The synonymy for these two families includes 30 basionyms that are relevant to New Zealand. In order to fix the application of these names, their types need to be clarified. Lectotypes and neotypes have previously been chosen for 13 of these, and holotypes or isotypes identified and documented for another 10 basionyms (see Table 1), following the clarification of the rules governing recognition of holotypes provided by McNeill (2014). Lectotypes or neotypes for six of the remaining basionyms are selected here as part of a series on New Zealand’s indigenous ferns (Brownsey and Parris 2012; Brownsey and Perrie 2012, 2013, 2014a, 2014b, 2015a, 2015b, 2016a, 2016b, 2016c, 2017; Perrie and Brownsey 2015; Brownsey et al. 2018) 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 Aspidium coriaceum var. acutidentatum A.Rich.

Table 1. Basionyms of New Zealand Dryopteridaceae and Nephrolepidaceae for which holotypes have previously been identified or lectotypes and neotypes designated.

Basionym	Type
Aspidium capense Willd.	Holotype documented by Brownsey and Perrie (in press, a)
Aspidium cunninghamianum Colenso	Lectotype designated by Allan (1961)
Aspidium cunninghamii Colenso	Holotype documented by Brownsey and Perrie (in press, a)
Aspidium hispidum Sw.	Holotype documented by Brownsey and Perrie (in press, a)
Aspidium oculatum Hook.	Lectotype designated by Perrie et al. (2003a)
Aspidium perelegans Colenso	Lectotype designated by Perrie et al. (2003b)
Aspidium pulcherrimum Colenso	Lectotype designated by Perrie et al. (2003b)
Aspidium richardii Hook.	Lectotype designated by Perrie et al. (2003a)
Aspidium velutinum A.Rich.	Holotype documented by Brownsey and Perrie (in press, a)
Aspidium waikarense Colenso	Lectotype designated by Perrie et al. (2003b)
Aspidium wawranum Szyszyl.	Holotype documented by Brownsey and Perrie (in press, a)
Aspidium zerophyllum Colenso	Lectotype designated by Perrie et al. (2003a)
Lastreopsis kermadecensis Perrie & Brownsey	Holotype documented by Brownsey and Perrie (in press, a)
Nephrodium decompositum var. microphyllum Hook.	Holotype documented by Brownsey and Perrie (in press, a)
Nephrodium glabellum A.Cunn.	Lectotype designated by Tindale (1965)
Nephrolepis cordifolia var. pseudolauterbachii Hovenkamp & Miyam.	Holotype documented by Brownsey and Perrie (in press, b)
Nephrolepis flexuosa Colenso	Neotype designated by de Lange et al. (2005)
Polypodium adiantiforme G.Forst.	Lectotype designated by Nicolson & Fosberg (2003)
Polypodium aristatum G.Forst.	Lectotype designated by Morton (1960)
Polypodium coriaceum Sw.	Type documented by Brownsey and Perrie (in press, a)
Polypodium vestitum G.Forst.	Lectotype designated by Nicolson & Fosberg (2003)
Polystichum neozelandicum Fée	Holotype documented by Brownsey and Perrie (in press, a)
Polystichum venustum Hombr.	Lectotype designated by Perrie et al. (2003b)

Materials and methods

Herbarium abbreviations follow Thiers (2018). Type material was sought in herbaria known to house the main collections of relevant authors – BM, E and K for Robert Brown; AK, K and WELT for William Colenso; P, B, FI, G for N.A. Desvaux; K for W.J. and J.D. Hooker. 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

Aspidium cystostegium Hook., Sp. Fil. 4: 26, t. 227 (1862) ≡ Polystichum cystostegium (Hook.) J.B.Armstr., Trans. & Proc. New Zealand Inst. 13: 364 (1881)

Lectotype (designated here): N[ew] Zealand, Middle Isld., Discovery Peaks, 5800 ft, Travers, Herb. Hooker., K 001040190!

Notes: Aspidium cystostegium was described by Hooker (1862) who cited four collections from the North and South Islands of New Zealand. All four specimens are mounted on one sheet at K: Middle Island, Dieffenbach, Herb. Hooker., K 001040187; between Lake Tennyson and W. coast, C. Mailing [Maling], Herb. Hooker., K 001040188; Wairau Gorge, at elevation of about 4400 feet, Sinclair, Herb. Hooker., K 001040189; Middle Island, Discovery Peaks, alt. 5800 feet, Travers, Herb. Hooker., K 001040190. The Dieffenbach collection is labelled ‘Middle Island’, now known as the South Island, whereas Hooker cited it as ‘Northern Island’ in his protologue; the discrepancy means that this is an inappropriate choice for lectotype. Of the remaining three collections, the Mailing [=C. Maling] collection is poorly localised, but the other two are good candidates for lectotype. The Travers collection comprises slightly better specimens and is here designated as the lectotype.

Nephrodium decompositum var. pubescens Hook.f., Fl. Nov.-Zel. 2: 39 (1854) =

Parapolystichum microsorum (Endl.) Labiak, Sundue & R.C.Moran

Lectotype (designated here): New Zealand, Herb. Hooker., K! (photo WELT E473/1).

Notes: Nephrodium decompositum var. pubescens was described by Hooker (1854) from specimens collected in New Zealand, but without further locality data. There are two fronds in the Hookers’ Herbarium at K, each mounted on a separate sheet that also bears a frond of Lastreopsis velutina. However, both fronds are clearly annotated ‘Nephrodium decompositum var. pubescens’ in J.D. Hooker’s handwriting, and are different to those of Lastreopsis velutina. One is mounted on the same sheet as Colenso’s Nephrodium pentangulare (K 001080644 – see below). The other is mounted on a sheet labelled ‘New Zealand’ and is designated here as the lectotype.

Nephrodium pentangulare Colenso, Tasmanian J. Nat. Sci. 2: 169 (1845) = Lastreopsis velutina (A.Rich.) Tindale, Victorian Naturalist 73: 184 (1957)

Lectotype (designated here): New Zealand, W. Colenso, 1837, Herb. Hooker., K 001080644, lower frond!

Notes: Nephrodium pentangulare was described by Colenso (1845 – as N. pentangularum) from material collected in shaded woods on the East Coast in 1841, and near the Bay of Islands in 1837. There is a collection in the Hookers’ Herbarium at K labelled ‘Nephrodium pentangularum n. sp., W.C., 1837’. However, this specimen is undoubtedly the fern now known as Lastreopsis velutina, not the plant referred to as Lastreopsis microsora subsp. pentangularis by Tindale (1965). The specimen has been annotated by J.D. Hooker as ‘Nephrodium decompositum var. velutinum’, and he subsequently included Colenso’s name in synonymy under N. velutinum (now Lastreopsis velutina) (Hooker 1854). There is another specimen mounted higher on the same sheet which has been annotated ‘N. decompositum var. pubescens’ by J.D. Hooker (see above), and which does represent Tindale’s subspecies, but it is unclear whether this specimen is from the same collection. Colenso’s description is ambiguous, referring to the plants as ‘bipinnate’, whereas both fronds are at least tripinnate. However, the frond dimensions, the frond shape described as ‘five-angled’, and the stipe described as ‘villous’, all fit much better with the lower frond than the upper one. The lower frond is therefore designated here as the lectotype for Nephrodium pentangulare. Strangely, the name was not mentioned at all by Hooker (1864), but was transferred to the synonymy of Dryopteris decomposita without any further explanation by Cheeseman (1906, 1925), and to Ctenitis decomposita by Allan (1961) who mentions the ‘villous’ stipe. It later became the basis of the new combination Lastreopsis microsora subsp. pentangularis made by Tindale (1965) who, nevertheless, states that she did not see either specimen originally cited by Colenso (1845), but that she did examine an isotype at K. However, it is not known which specimen she examined, since it is not identified in any way, and her reference to an unspecified isotype does not qualify as an inadvertent lectotypification. It is unclear why Colenso’s name was reinterpreted in this way by Cheeseman, Allan and Tindale when, apparently, none of them saw Colenso’s material.

Polypodium setosum G.Forst., Fl. Ins. Austr. 82 (1786) = Lastreopsis hispida (Sw.) Tindale, Victorian Naturalist 73: 183 (1957)

Lectotype (designated here): New Zealand, Herb. G. Forster 285, BM 001048428!

Notes: Polypodium setosum was described by Forster (1786) but is an illegitimate name because of the earlier homonym, Polypodium setosum Thunb. (1784). Tindale (1961) cited two syntypes: Forster 285 in BM and ‘Forsan e Nova Zelandia’ collected by Forster in UPS. Nicolson and Fosberg (2003) referred to both these specimens, and three other syntypes in GOET, LIV and MW, but did not designate a lectotype. GOET 012812 (!online) is fragmentary, the LIV and MW specimens lack any locality data (Nicolson & Fosberg 2003), and the UPS specimen has not been located. On the other hand, BM 001048428 is labelled ‘New Zealand, G. Forster’s Herbarium’, and has two complete sterile fronds clearly identifiable by the characteristic scales on the stipes and rachises. It is the most complete specimen and is designated here as the lectotype.

Polypodium silvaticum Colenso, Tasmanian J. Nat. Sci. 2: 163 (1845) ≡ Polystichum silvaticum (Colenso) Diels in Engler & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 1(4): 192 (1899)

Lectotype (designated here): near Tolaga Bay, E. Coast, W. Colenso, Nov. 1841, WELT P003188!

Notes: Polypodium silvaticum was described by Colenso (1845 – as P. sylvaticum) from material collected near Tolaga Bay on the East Coast in 1841. There is a sheet in K (001040182) bearing two fertile fronds but labelled only ‘New Zealand, W. Colenso, 55’. In a letter to W.J. Hooker dated 1 September 1842, Colenso lists No. 55 as Polypodium sylvaticum, but the locality is only vaguely indicated as somewhere inland from Anaura Bay (St George 2009, p. 155). There is another sheet in WELT (P003188) bearing three fertile fronds labelled ‘near Tolaga Bay, E. Coast, Nov. 1841’. This collection relates more clearly to Colenso’s protologue, and has a wider range of frond material. It is therefore designated here as the lectotype.

Neotypification

Nephrodium brownii Desv., Mém. Soc. Linn. Paris 6: 252 (1827) ≡ Nephrolepis brownii (Desv.) Hovenkamp & Miyam.

Neotype (designated here): Port II, East Coast, Australia, R. Brown Iter Austral. No. 20, BM 001048232 (!online).

Notes: Nephrodium brownii was published by Desvaux (1827) as a new name, using Brown’s (1810) description of N. exaltatum, but excluding the synonym Aspidium exaltatum Sw. It appears that Desvaux decided that it was not the same as Swartz’s Aspidium exaltatum, and therefore gave it a new name based on Brown’s description and material. Although Brown is known to have sent material from his Australian collections to Desvaux and others in France (Mabberley and Moore in press), the only specimens of Brown’s N. exaltatum in P are duplicates from K and E received in 1884 and 1895 respectively, long after Desvaux published his new name. No specimens of Brown’s N. exaltatum annotated by Desvaux have been located in P, B (Willd.), FI or G, herbaria known to house Desvaux’s material. In the absence of any original material seen by Desvaux it is therefore necessary to designate a neotype to serve as a nomenclatural type. Hovenkamp and Miyamoto (2005) identified the type of Brown’s N. exaltatum as Brown 20, with syntypes in BM and K, although there is also material in E. Any of these specimens are suitable candidates, but the material from Brown’s main herbarium at BM is designated here as the neotype.

Type not designated

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

Aspidium coriaceum var. acutidentatum A.Rich., Voy. Astrolabe, Essai 71 (1832)

Notes: Aspidium coriaceum var. acutidentatum was described by Richard (1832). It was first included in the synonymy of Polystichum aristatum (now Arachniodes aristata) by Hooker (1854), but later moved to synonymy under Aspidium richardii (Hooker 1864; Cheeseman 1906) or Polystichum richardii (Cheeseman 1925; Allan 1961). No type material has been found in P which holds Richard’s main herbarium, and, with the subdivision of P. richardii into three species (Perrie et al. 2003a), its identity is uncertain.

Acknowledgements

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. We are grateful to AK, B, BM, E, G, FI, K, 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.