Anisotome aromatica

Detailed description

Hooker gives a composite description based on various specimens from “Northern Island. East and south coasts, and interior, Banks and Solander, Colenso, etc. Middle (South) Island, Bidwill, Lyall, etc. The smallest species I know, 200-300 mm high. Leaves all radical, except one (no longer relevant as this is now A. lanuginosa, as described by Dawson 1961) at each fork of the stem, recurved. Petiole 100-150 mm long, stout, jointed, with eight pair of pinnae extending nearly to the base, 8-10 mm broad across the pinnae, which coriaceous, deeply veined, cuneate-orbicular, more or less deeply toothed, or cut into linear segments, each ending is a little bristle. Stems or scapes slender sparingly divided. Male umbels 35-55 mm across, many-flowered; flowers white, 2-3 mm across. Calyx lobes variable, sometimes obsolete. Female umbels much smaller, contracted, fewer-flowered. Involucral leaves partial and general, few, linear-subulate, shorter than the peduncles. Fruit shortly pedicellate. Mericarps linear, up to 4 mm long, equal, each with five winged ribs. Seeds deeply grooved.”

var. aromatica Leaves, stems slender, usually about 5-10 cm long; lamina 30-80 mm long, on petiole up to about 25-35 mm long; pinnae 4-8 pairs, close-set, sometimes slightly overlapping, submembranous, dark green, suborbicular-flabellate, rapidly cuneately narrowed to sessile or subsessile base, up to approximately 8 × 8 mm; irregularly, shallowly, sharply toothed; teeth with hair-process. Umbels small, compound, involucral bracts linear to filiform. Fruit 3-4 mm long.

var. flabellifolia Leaves, stems very slender, flexible, finely striate, up to 50 cm long; lamina narrow-oblong, up to 200 mm long, on petiole up to 70 mm. long; pinnae (5-)10(-20) pairs, distant, up to approximately 10 × 8 mm, rather abruptly cuneately narrowed to sessile or subsessile base, membranous; teeth sharp, fine, with short hair-process. Occasionally pinnae deeply, irregularly lobed. Umbels small, compound, on slender peduncles up to 40 mm long; primary rays almost filiform unequal, up to 25-35 mm long; involucral bracts narrow-linear, acuminate; secondary rays very short. Umbellules not more than 5 mm diameter in flower.

var. incisa Leaves, stems stout to rather slender, striate, up to 50 cm tall; lamina narrow-oblong in outline, up to 200 mm long, on petiole up to 100 mm long; pinnae 5-10 pairs, flabellate to rhomboid in outline, distant, submembranous, on petiolules up to 5 mm long, or subsessile. Lamina of pinnae 20 × 25 mm, very deeply irregularly 3-(5) lobed; lobes again deeply divided; final segs about oblong, rather abruptly narrowed to stiff hair-process. Umbel-bearing portion of stem very slender; bracts up to 20 mm long, including delicate sheath and small lamina. Umbels compound, on slender peduncles up to 80 mm long. Primary rays unequal, 5-10, very slender, up to 30 mm long; involucral bracts few, filiform, secondary rays very short, up to 15. Umbellules approximately 5-10 mm diameter in flower.

var. major Leaves, stems stout, finely grooved, up to 50 cm tall; lamina narrow-oblong, up to 120 mm long, on rather stout petiole up to 80 mm long; sheaths delicate up to 20 mm long, with short blunt ligule; pinnae 8-10 pairs, rather distant, submembranous, flabellate, 10-20 × 10-20 mm, sessile by broad base; teeth subacute, with hair-process. Bracts foliaceous, with open sheaths narrowed to lamina up to 40 mm long, with about 4 pairs of pinnae. Umbels axillary and terminal, compound, on peduncles up to 80 mm long. Primary rays up to 15, up to 30 mm long; involucral bracts linear, acuminate, up to 20 mm long; secondary rays short, up to 15. Fruit narrow-ovoid, about 5 mm long.

var. obtusa Leaves, stems generally 15–20(-30) cm tall, rather stout, strict; lamina 20–60 mm long, on petiole up to 20 mm long; pinnae 4–8 pairs, subcoriaceous, dark green, up to 6 × 5 mm, close-set, usually slightly overlapping; irregularly, shallowly, bluntly toothed; tips occasionally apiculate, but lacking hair-processes. Umbels compound, condensed up to 10 mm diameter. Primary rays very short; involucral bracts lanceolate. Fruit up to 2 mm long, styles slender; mericarps distinctly ribbed, more or less winged.

var. pinnatisecta Leaves, stems stiff, finely striate, up to 30 cm tall; lamina up to 80 mm long, on petiole 40–80 mm long including broad membranous sheath; pinnae up to 9 pairs, subcoriaceous, distant, up to 10 × 10 mm, sessile to shortly petiolulate, pinnately divided to midvein into 2–3 pairs of distant linear lobes (these sometimes again lobed) with obtuse to subacute minutely apiculate apex. Umbels compound or simple, up to 30 mm diameter in fruit, usually several on common peduncle up to 60 mm long; involucral bracts linear. Fruit ovate-oblong in outline; strongly compressed, 3–4 mm long; mericarps with acute to winged ridges.