Myosotis matthewsii

Myosotis matthewsii is a species of flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae, endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. Lucy Moore described the species in 1961. Plants of this species of forget-me-not are perennial rosettes with bracteate inflorescences and white corollas.

Myosotis matthewsii

Nationally Critical (NZ TCS)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Boraginales
Family: Boraginaceae
Genus: Myosotis
Species:
M. matthewsii
Binomial name
Myosotis matthewsii

Taxonomy and etymology

Myosotis matthewsii is in the plant family Boraginaceae and was originally described in 1961 by Lucy Moore.[3][4] Myosotis matthewsii is morphologically most similar to M. spatulata, M. chaffeyorum, M. tenericaulis and M. albiflora.[5]

The type specimen of Myosotis matthewsii is lodged at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington (herbarium WELT).[6][5]

The specific epithet, matthewsii, is named after Richard Henry Matthews (1835–1912),[7] a Kaitaia resident who made the first collections.[5]

Phylogeny

Myosotis matthewsii was shown to be a part of the monophyletic southern hemisphere lineage of Myosotis in phylogenetic analyses of standard DNA sequencing markers (nuclear ribosomal DNA and chloroplast DNA regions).[8][9] Within the southern hemisphere lineage, species relationships were not well resolved.[8][9]

Description

Myosotis matthewsii plants are rosettes. The rosette leaves have petioles 7–62 mm long. The rosette leaf blades are 6–22 mm long by 5–20 mm wide (length: width ratio 1.1–1.3: 1), broadly to very broadly obovate, widest at or above the middle, with an obtuse apex. Both surfaces of the leaf are sparsely to densely covered in straight, appressed (also some patent on upper surface only), antrorse (forward-facing) hairs that are oriented at an angle (upper surface) or parallel (lower surface) relative to the mid vein. Each rosette has 3–6 sprawling, creeping, subascending, unbranched to thrice-branched bracteate inflorescences that are 176–420 mm long. The cauline leaves are very similar to the rosette leaves, but become smaller, can be elliptic to ovate, and may have some curved hairs. The flowers are 8–43 per inflorescence and each is borne on a short pedicel with a bract. The calyx is 2–3 mm long at flowering and 3–4 mm long at fruiting, lobed to about three-quarters of its length, and densely covered in short, straight to curved (sometimes hooked near the calyx base), appressed to patent, antrorse hairs. The corolla is white and 4–8 mm in diameter, with a cylindrical tube, petals that are broadly obovate to ovate and flat, and small yellow scales alternating with the petals. The anthers are fully exserted. The four smooth, shiny, light to dark brown nutlets are 1.4–1.8 mm long by 1.0–1.4 mm wide and ovoid to broadly ovoid in shape.[5]

Myosotis matthewsii has M. uniflora type pollen.[10][11]

The chromosome number of M. matthewsii is unknown.

Myosotis matthewsii flowers October–January, and fruits until March.[5]

Distribution and habitat

Myosotis matthewsii is endemic to the North Island of New Zealand in the Warawara Forest in Northland, from 65 to 300 m ASL. M. matthewsii is found on the forest floor in damp, shady, rocky sites of low broadleaf secondary forest.[5][12]

Conservation status

The species is listed as Threatened - Nationally Critical in the most recent assessment (2017-2018) of the New Zealand Threatened Classification for plants. It also has the qualifiers "DP" (Data Poor), "EF" (Extreme Fluctuations), and "OL" (One Location).[5]

References
  1. Lange, Peter J. de; Rolfe, Jeremy R.; Barkla, John W.; Courtney, Shannel P.; Champion, Paul D.; Perrie, Leon R.; Beadel, Sarah M.; Ford, Kerry A.; Breitwieser, Ilse; Schönberger, Ines; Hindmarsh-Walls, Rowan (May 2018). "Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017" (PDF). New Zealand Threat Classification Series. 22: 1–86. OCLC 1041649797.
  2. Moore, L.B. "Boraginaceae. In 'Flora of New Zealand'. (Ed. HH Allan) Vol. 1, pp. 806–833". (Government Printer: Wellington, New Zealand) floraseries.landcareresearch.co.nz. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  3. "Myosotis matthewsii". New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  4. Moore, L.B. "Boraginaceae. In 'Flora of New Zealand'. (Ed. HH Allan) Vol. 1, pp. 806–833". (Government Printer: Wellington, New Zealand) floraseries.landcareresearch.co.nz. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  5. Meudt, Heidi M.; Prebble, Jessica M. (28 February 2018). "Species limits and taxonomic revision of the bracteate-prostrate group of southern hemisphere forget-me-nots (Myosotis, Boraginaceae), including description of three new species endemic to New Zealand". Australian Systematic Botany. 31 (1): 48–105. doi:10.1071/SB17045. ISSN 1446-5701. S2CID 90834744.
  6. "Myosotis matthewsii". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  7. Smith, Val (2009). "Eponymous Orchids. New Zealand Native Orchid Journal 111:14". www.nativeorchids.co.nz. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  8. Meudt, Heidi M.; Prebble, Jessica M.; Lehnebach, Carlos A. (1 May 2015). "Native New Zealand forget-me-nots (Myosotis, Boraginaceae) comprise a Pleistocene species radiation with very low genetic divergence". Plant Systematics and Evolution. 301 (5): 1455–1471. doi:10.1007/s00606-014-1166-x. ISSN 2199-6881. S2CID 254048318.
  9. Winkworth, Richard C; Grau, Jürke; Robertson, Alastair W; Lockhart, Peter J (1 August 2002). "The origins and evolution of the genus Myosotis L. (Boraginaceae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 24 (2): 180–193. doi:10.1016/S1055-7903(02)00210-5. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 12144755.
  10. Meudt, HM (1 October 2016). "Pollen morphology and its taxonomic utility in the Southern Hemisphere bracteate-prostrate forget-me-nots (Myosotis, Boraginaceae)". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 54 (4): 475–497. doi:10.1080/0028825X.2016.1229343. ISSN 0028-825X. S2CID 89118799.
  11. "Myosotis matthewsii". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  12. "More forget-me-not hunting". Te Papa’s Blog. 15 May 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
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