Asplenium ? flaccidum A. northlandicum (Brownsey) Ogle G.Forst.

A. northlandicum (Brownsey) Ogle

New Zealand, Kermadec Ecological Region and District, Kermadec Islands Nature Reserve, Southern Kermadec Islands group, Macauley Island, Quadrat Gully

22 May 2011

One large plant collected growing out of a big clump of Asplenium oblongifolium (see AK 325821) on dacitic saprolite ledges on ravine wall. Associated with A. shuttleworthianum (see AK 325822) which grew directly above the A. oblongifolium patch, and (locally) A. northlandicum (see AK 325823). Parentage with A. shuttleworthianum is obvious - as it is the only deeply pinnatifid Asplenium present on Macauley, but whether this cross involves A. oblongifolium or A. northlandicum is unclear. Although A. northlandicum x A. shuttleworthianum has been accepted for the northern Kermadec Islands group (Raoul and the Meyers), the gathering used by Brownsey to illustrate this hybrid has pinnae that are much more divided than AK 325824 (see Brownsey (1977, N.Z.J.Bot.15(3):p. 626)). Also this gathering (AK 325824) was collected from within a big patch of A. oblongifolium which was the dominant Asplenium present in this part of the gully. Thus, although A. northlandicum was present in the area I believe this cross represents a putative example of A. oblongifolium x A. shuttleworthianum as it seems more likely that spores of A. oblongifolium would settle within a large patch of it than A. northlandicum. I have seen similar plants at Boat Cove, Raoul Island, where both A. oblongifolium and A. shuttleworthianum but also A. aff. haurakiense are very common, and A. northlandicum locally scarce.
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20 Aug 2020