The vascular flora of Aorangi Island, Poor Knights Islands, northern New Zealand

Abstract

An annotated vascular flora of 282 taxa for Aorangi Island, Poor Knights Islands, is presented. Additional records (20 taxa) from Tawhiti Rahi Island, the other major island in the archipelago, are listed separately, resulting in a combined Poor Knights vascular flora of 302 taxa. Two new combinations, Wahlenbergia littoricola subsp. vernicosa and Xeronema callistemon f bracteosa, are made for plants previously treated as W. vernicosa and X. callistemon var. bracteosa, respectively. Only one taxon, Xeronema callistemon f. bracteosa, is provisionally accepted as endemic to the Poor Knights Islands. The control of the more serious weed species on the island is discussed. A case is made for including the Mokohinau Islands within the Poor Knights Ecological Region.

Senecio repangae(Asteraceae): A new endemic species from the north‐eastern North Island, New Zealand

“…Within this archipelago, S. repangae subsp. pokohinuensis is present on all the major islands and islets except Tatapihi (Groper) Island (de Lange et al 1995b), the Cathedral Rocks, Stacks "A", "G", "I", and "J", the Sphinx Rocks, 515 "Gut Rock", "Spire Rock", and "Tower Rocks" (P. J. de Lange unpubl. data).…”

Biological flora of New Zealand 10.Phormium tenax, harakeke, New Zealand flax

“…Phormium tenax from the Three kings, Poor knights, Mokohinau, and Hen and Chickens Islands north of auckland ( Fig. 1) features decurved leaves with a goldenyellow laminal margin (de lange & Cameron 1999). A much smaller habit, floppy decurved leaves, and smaller flowers, fruits, and seeds have been reported for the Chatham Islands form (Crisp et al 2000), as have broader leaves (Greenwood 1992).…”

“…), and may clarify the provenance of some traditional cultivars. Because of the extreme variability of both species ofPhormium, taxonomic distinctions between some variants are believed possible (Wardle 1979;de lange & Cameron 1999).…”

Taxonomic notes on the New Zealand flora: new names in Piper (Piperaceae)

“…peltatum f. peltatum (Gardner 1997), and it is amply distinguished from that subspecies by its more consistently peltate, thicker, dull green leaves, and possibly, its chemistry (Gardner 1997), as well as its more highly ornamented seeds (Eagle 2006), it is here elevated to subspecies rank. This is the preferred rank used by the majority of New Zealand botanists for minor allopatric segregates (Edgar 1986;Sykes 1992;Heenan 1998;de Lange & Murray 1998;de Lange & Cameron 1999;de Lange & Heenan 2001;de Lange 2010), and so is more appropriate than forma which is a rank reserved for minor genetically fixed variants that occur sympatrically within the parent gene pool (see Garnock-Jones & Molloy 1982;Heenan 1998;de Lange & Cameron 1999;Stace 1991;Stuessy 1990 47, 22 (1915) Macropiper excelsum f. psittacorum (Endl.) A.C.Sm., Bot.…”