''Myosotis bryonoma'' is a species of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Boraginaceae,
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to the
South Island
The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...
of
New Zealand.Heidi Meudt, Jessica Prebble and Michael Thorsen described the species. Plants of this species of
forget-me-not are
perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...
with a creeping habit, bracteate inflorescences, and white corollas.
Taxonomy and etymology
''Myosotis bryonoma'' Meudt et al. is in the plant family
Boraginaceae
Boraginaceae, the borage or forget-me-not family, includes about 2,000 species of shrubs, trees and herbs in 146, to 156 genera with a worldwide distribution.
The APG IV system from 2016 classifies the Boraginaceae as single family of the order ...
and was originally described in 2018 by Heid Meudt, Jessica Prebble and Michael Thorsen.
It is morphologically most similar to ''M. tenericaulis,'' another creeping, bracteate-prostrate species of ''Myosotis,'' and also shares some morphological characters with other bracteate-prostrate species, ''
M. colensoi'' and ''
M. cheesemanii.
'' It can be distinguished from ''M. tenericaulis'' by its shorter (<5 mm long) and wider (>0.7 mm) petioles, smaller leaves (generally <6 mm long), appressed trichomes that are parallel to the mid vein, rosette leaves that are glabrous on the underside, shorter inflorescences (10–45 mm long) and internodes (<5 mm), and fewer flowers per inflorescence (1–3).
''M. bryonoma'' can be distinguished from ''M. colensoi'' and ''M. cheesemanii'' by its shorter rosette leaf petioles (< 4 mm long), shorter calyces (< 3.5 mm long at flowering), calyx lobes which are longer than half the length of the calyx, rosette leaves usually glabrous abaxially, and shorter corolla tube (< 4.3 mm long).
The type specimen of ''Myosotis bryonoma'' is lodged at the herbarium (WELT) of the
Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa.
The specific epithet, ''bryonoma'', is derived from Greek words meaning ‘dwelling in moss’, i.e. ''bryon'' (moss) and ''nomos'' (place or condition for living), and refers to this species' habitat. The specific epithet was inspired by submissions from the public to give the species a new name.
Phylogeny
''Myosotis bryonoma'' was shown to be a part of the
monophyletic
In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...
southern hemisphere lineage of ''Myosotis'' in
phylogenetic
In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...
analyses of standard DNA sequencing markers (
nuclear ribosomal DNA
Nuclear may refer to:
Physics
Relating to the Atomic nucleus, nucleus of the atom:
*Nuclear engineering
*Nuclear physics
*Nuclear power
*Nuclear reactor
*Nuclear weapon
*Nuclear medicine
*Radiation therapy
*Nuclear warfare
Mathematics
*Nuclear ...
and
chloroplast DNA regions).
Within the southern hemisphere lineage, species relationships were not well resolved.
The sequences of two individuals of ''M. bryonoma'' (as ''M.'' aff. ''tenericaulis'') grouped mainly with individuals of other small bracteate-prostrate species in the nuclear ribosomal DNA dataset, but were in a central, unresolved position in the chloroplast DNA dataset.
Description
''Myosotis bryonoma'' plants are single rosettes. The rosette leaves are few and have
petioles 1–7 mm long. The rosette leaf blades are 2–7 mm long by 1–5 mm wide (length: width ratio 1.0–2.9: 1), narrowly obovate to very broadly obovate or ovate to very broadly ovate, usually widest at or above the middle, with an
obtuse apex. The upper and lower surfaces of the leaf are sparsely to densely covered in straight, appressed, antrorse (forward-facing) hairs that are parallel to the mid vein. Each rosette has 1–5 ascending or prostrate, usually unbranched, bracteate
inflorescences
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...
that are 10–45 cm long. The cauline leaves are similar in size, shape and hairs to the rosette leaves. There can be up to 3 flowers in each inflorescence, each one borne on a short
pedicel
Pedicle or pedicel may refer to:
Human anatomy
*Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures
...
and with a cauline leaf. The calyx is 1–3 mm long at flowering and 2–3 mm long at fruiting, lobed to half or nearly all of its length, and densely covered in short, straight, antrorse hairs. The corolla is white and up to 6 mm in diameter, with a cylindrical tube, petals that are obovate and flat, and small yellow scales alternating with the petals. The anthers are fully included inside the corolla tube, or sometimes partly exserted, with the tips only surpassing the scales. The four smooth, shiny, light brown nutlets are 1.1–1.9 mm long by 0.7–1.1 mm wide and ovoid in shape.
''Myosotis bryonoma'' has ''M. australis'' type pollen.
The chromosome number of ''M. bryonoma'' is unknown.
It flowers and fruits from November to February.
Distribution and habitat
''Myosotis bryonoma'' is endemic to the South Island of New Zealand in Otago from (720–)970–1700 m elevation.
It is restricted to high-elevation mountain bogs and other damp to saturated habitats, often with mosses, cushions and other small herbs.
Conservation status
The species is listed as At Risk - Naturally Uncommon in the most recent assessment (2017-2018) of the
New Zealand Threatened Classification for plants. It also has the qualifiers "DP" (Data Poor), "RR" (Range Restricted) and "Sp" (Sparse).
Gallery
File:Myosotis bryonoma 14165868.jpg
File:Myosotis bryonoma 30771850.jpg
File:Myosotis bryonoma 30769922.jpg
References
External links
''Myosotis bryonoma'' occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q75065151
bryonoma
Endemic flora of New Zealand
Endangered flora of New Zealand
Plants described in 2018