Myosotis antarctica Hook. f., Fl. Antarct.

Myosotis antarctica Hook.f., Fl. Antarct. 1(4): 57, t. 38 (1844)

Type citation: ‘ Campbell’s Island; on the debris at the base of precipices and in the most exposed places along with Cardamine stellata and in clefts of rock on the very summits of mountains’. Type: NEW ZEALAND. Campbell Island, on rocky debris near the sea and at considerable elevation (1000 ft), December 1840, J. D. Hooker 1609 (first-step lecto [designated by L. B. Moore in H. H. Allan (Ed.), Fl. New Zealand 1: 817 (1961)]: K; second-step lecto, designated here: K 000787899!; remaining syn: K 000787901!).

Moore (1961) cited the type of the name Myosotis antarctica as being held at ‘K’ but did not cite a specimen. This is here treated as effective (first-step) lectotypification by Moore in accordance with ICN Art. 7.11 (Turland et al. 2018). Because there are two Hooker specimens at K collected from Campbell Island, second-step lectotypification is here effected. K 000787899 has a ‘Herbariorum hookerianum 1867’ stamp, and a note that reads ‘1609 Myosotis antarctica Hook.f. On rocky debris near the sea and at considerable elevation (1000 ft) Campbells Island December 1840 ’. There is also a pencil illustration pinned to the sheet with the number ‘1609’ in the corner. The drawing consists of recognisable drafts of the colour plate published in the protologue (reproduced here as Fig. 7). ‘TYPE specimen!’ is written on the sheet in a different pen. There are five plants making up the specimen, which is clearly distinguishable from the other specimen on the sheet (K 000787898; collected by T. Kirk in 1884 from ‘Dog Island’). The second specimen, K 000787901, which is on a separate sheet, has a ‘Herbariorum benthamianum’ stamp on it, and a note that reads ‘ Myosotis antarctica Hook.f. Fl. Ant. p. 57 & 305 Campbell Island Hooker 1845’. Because it is less clear whether this second specimen has exactly the same collection information as the first, it is better excluded from the lectotype.

Rosette plants with multiple prostrate branches up to 15(–31) cm long. Rosette leaves 4–22; petioles 1.0–20.0 mm long; lamina margins and apex sometimes curling under, narrowly oblanceolate to very broadly obovate, 3.0–26.0 mm long, 1.5–11.0 mm wide (length:width ratio 1.0–4.0(–6.0): (1), bright to dull green to reddish-brown, often with red–brown petioles and mid-veins; apex obtuse, with hydathode on abaxial side; trichomes densely distributed and often overlapping, curved or flexuous, antrorse, patent to erect, appressed or spreading on margins, distributed evenly (on leaf adaxial surface), and sparsely distributed, or on midrib only, or absent (on abaxial surface), (0.2–)0.5–1.1(–2.0) mm long, deciduous with age. Basal cauline leaves not subtending flowers, 1–5 per branch, lamina similar in size and shape to the rosette leaves, with petioles up to 8.8 mm; distal cauline leaves subtending flowers up to 46 per branch, lamina 1.4– 16.0(–25) mm long, 0.8–7.0 mm wide, usually sessile. Pedicels up to 1.2 mm long (flowering) or 1.9 mm long (fruiting). Calyx 1.0– 3.5 mm long (flowering) increasing to (2.0–)3.0– 6.5 mm long (fruiting), 1.5–6.0 mm wide at the top at fruiting, lobed to 1/3–3/4 the length of the calyx; with trichomes sometimes of two lengths, longer and antrorse on ribs v. shorter and retrorse in between ribs and near the base (in other instances the two length classes are not so obvious, and retrorse trichomes are not always present). Corolla (1.0–)1.5–4.0 mm in diameter, white, cream, blue, faucal scales yellow; corolla lobes 0.5–1.5 mm long (0.2–)0.4–1.1(–1.3) mm wide; corolla tube 0.5– 1.2(–1.5) mm wide at faucal scales, 1.2–2.8(–3.3) mm long from base to faucal scales, narrow cylindric. Stamens 5, included; filaments attached below faucal scales, 0–0.3 mm long; anthers 0.3–0.9 mm long, subsessile; style (0.7–) 1.1–2.3 mm long (flowering) to (0.8–)1.1–2.8(–4.8) mm long (fruiting). Nutlets 4, (1.1–) 1.2–1.9 mm long, (0.7–) 0.8–1.2 mm wide.