''Myosotis lyallii'' subsp. ''lyallii'' is a subspecies 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
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
.
Joseph Dalton Hooker described ''M. lyallii'' in 1853. Plants of this subspecies 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 prostrate habit, bracteate or partially-bracteate inflorescences, and white corollas, usually with exserted anthers.
Taxonomy and etymology
''Myosotis lyallii'' subsp. ''lyallii'' 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 ...
. The species ''
Myosotis lyallii
''Myosotis lyallii'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae, endemic to New Zealand. Joseph Dalton Hooker described the species in 1853. Plants of this species of forget-me-not are perennial with a prostrate habit, bracteate ...
'' was described in 1853 by
Joseph Dalton Hooker in ''
Flora Novae-Zelandiae
The ''Flora Novae-Zelandiae'' is a description of the plants discovered in New Zealand during the Ross expedition written by Joseph Dalton Hooker and published by Reeve Brothers in London between 1853 and 1855. Hooker sailed on HMS ''Erebus'' as ...
''.
The holotype specimen of ''Myosotis lyallii'' is lodged at
Kew Herbarium
Kew Gardens is a botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1840, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its living collections include some of the ...
(K000357221).
The specific epithet, ''lyallii'', was chosen to honor
David Lyall
David Lyall (1817–1895) MD, RN, FLS, was a Scottish botanist who explored Antarctica, New Zealand, the Arctic and North America and was a lifelong friend of Sir Joseph Hooker. He was born in Auchenblae, Kincardineshire, Scotland on 1 June 181 ...
, who was Joseph Hooker's friend and fellow assistant surgeon on the
Ross Expedition
The Ross expedition was a voyage of scientific exploration of the Antarctic in 1839 to 1843, led by James Clark Ross, with two unusually strong warships, HMS ''Erebus'' and HMS ''Terror''. It explored what is now called the Ross Sea and discov ...
, and who collected the type specimen during that voyage.
This is one of two subspecies recognized in ''
M. lyallii;'' the other is
''M. lyallii'' subsp. ''elderi''''.
'' The subspecies are largely
allopatric
Allopatric speciation () – also referred to as geographic speciation, vicariant speciation, or its earlier name the dumbbell model – is a mode of speciation that occurs when biological populations become geographically isolated from ...
, as ''M. lyallii'' subsp. ''lyallii'' is generally found in the wet, western side of the main divide of the South Island, whereas ''M. lyallii'' subsp. ''elderi'' is generally found on the dry, eastern side.''
'' In ''M. lyallii'' subsp. ''lyallii,'' the anthers are usually wholly above the faucal scales (fully exserted), whereas in ''M. lyallii'' subsp. ''elderi,'' the anthers are at least partly below the faucal scales (partially exserted).''
''
Furthermore, ''M. lyallii'' subsp. ''lyallii'' has longer filaments (> 0.6 mm) and at least some inflorescences that are partially bracteate, compared to filaments < 0.6 mm long and inflorescences that are wholly bracteate in ''M. lyallii'' subsp. ''elderi''.''
''
Phylogeny
To date, ''Myosotis lyallii'' subsp. ''lyallii'' has not been included in any published
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 using 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).
Description
''Myosotis lyallii'' subsp. ''lyallii'' plants are rosettes that grow together forming loose clumps. The rosette leaves have
petioles usually 3–18 mm long (rarely up to 40 mm long). The rosette leaf blades are 4–27 mm long by 2–13 mm wide (length: width ratio 1.1–3.6: 1), usually narrowly obovate to broadly obovate, usually widest at or above the middle, and usually with an
obtuse apex. The upper surface of the leaf are densely covered in long, flexuous (sometimes curved), usually patent, antrorse (forward-facing) hairs that are oriented parallel to the mid vein; the leaf margin and petiole margin have patent to erect hairs. The lower surface of the leaf is similar except it can be glabrous or with isolated hairs on the midrib only. Each rosette has 1–19 prostrate or ascending, unbranched or once-branched, usually partially-bracteate
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
s that are up to 105 mm long (rarely up to 230 mm long). The cauline leaves (sometimes called bracts) are similar to the rosette leaves but smaller, and decrease in size and become sessile toward the tip. Each inflorescence has 2–15 flowers, each 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 each usually with a bract. The calyx is 3–7 mm long at flowering and 4–8 mm long at fruiting, lobed to one-third to two-thirds its length, and densely covered in long, antrorse, mostly flexuous, appressed to patent hairs (sometimes mixed with retrorse or backward-facing hairs, or curved or rarely hooked hairs, on the calyx base). The corolla is white, up to 11 mm in diameter, with a cylindrical tube, petals that are broadly to very broadly ovate or obovate to very broadly obovate, and flat, and small yellow scales alternating with the petals. The anthers are 5–11 mm long and usually fully exserted or sometimes partially exserted, with the tips or upper quarter only surpassing the scales. The filaments are usually 1–2 mm long. The four smooth, shiny, light, medium or dark brown nutlets are 1.1–2.4 mm long by 0.6–1.5 mm wide and narrowly ovoid to ovoid in shape.
The chromosome number of ''M. lyallii'' subsp. ''lyallii'' is unknown.
''M. lyallii'' subsp. ''lyallii'' has ''M. australis'' type pollen.
It flowers and fruits from December–March.
Distribution and habitat
''Myosotis lyallii'' subsp. ''lyallii'' is a
forget-me-not endemic to the mountains of western areas of the South Island New Zealand from 900–1980 m ASL in the following ecological districts: Western Nelson, Westland, Canterbury, and Fiordland.
''M. lyallii'' subsp. ''lyallii'' is an occasional plant in exposed, steep, rocky sites in
fellfields and
tussock-
herbfield
Herbfields are plant communities dominated by herbaceous plants, especially forbs and grasses. They are found where climatic conditions do not allow large woody plants to grow, such as in subantarctic and alpine tundra environments. Herbfield is ...
s.
Conservation status
''Myosotis lyallii'' subsp. ''lyallii'' is listed as "At Risk - Naturally Uncommon", with the qualifiers "DP" (Data Poor) and "Sp" (Sparse) in the most recent assessment (2017-2018) under the
New Zealand Threatened Classification system for plants.
References
External links
''Myosotis lyallii subsp. lyallii'' occurrence data from Australasian Virtual Herbarium
{{Taxonbar, from=Q77465347
lyallii subsp. lyallii
Endemic flora of New Zealand
Endangered flora of New Zealand
Taxa named by Joseph Dalton Hooker
Plants described in 1853