ADDITIONAL VASCULAR RECORDS FOR THE CHICKEN ISLANDS, NORTH-EAST NEW ZEALAND

by E.K. Cameron Botany Department, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1

Three new records, one name change and comments on two species are ammended to my previous botanical account of the three largest Chicken Islands, Hauraki Gulf, north-east New Zealand (Cameron 1984). Apart from a recent voucher of weeping willow (Salix babylonica), there are no new collections. Where a herbarium voucher exists to support the record, the herbarium sheet number is listed. Herbarium abbreviations follow Holmgren et al. (1990). An asterisk denotes an adventive species.

DICOTYLEDONS

Hypochoeris glabra* The Whatupuke Id voucher is CHR 186775.

Salix babylonia* My record of S. ?x chrysocoma for Lady Alice Id is based on the misidentification of this willow. The S. babylonica voucher (AK 159357) for the same island collected by Cranwell & Moore (1935) could not be located, but is presumed to be from the same plant. In April 1991 the willow was roughly 3m tall by 4-5m across (AKU 22738) (R. Parrish pers. comm.) According to a supplement of 'The Northern Advocate' (undated c. 1983) and I. McFadden (pers. comm., 1991), Nova Scotian fishermen from Waipou Cove planted a twig of willow (Salix) on Lady Alice around the turn of the century to commemorate the start of their farming venture on the island. Cattle remained on the island until 1924. Therefore this surviving willow has local historical value. S. babylonica is only known in New Zealand as a single female clone, which has been in New Zealand since at least 1840 (Webb et al. 1988).

Senecio marotiri New record. A northern New Zealand species recently described by Webb (1988) and represented on the Chickens by two collections: Lady Alice Id August 1964, Hynes AK 103973 (this was previously listed as S. lautus); and Middle Rock (between Lady Alice and Whatupuke Is), January 1982, Wright 4560, AK 159940. The 'abundant' ranking for S. lautus on Lady Alice is still valid.

87 Tane, Vol. 33,1991 S. sylvaticus* New record. My voucher of Senecio bipinnatisectus for Lady Alice Id (AKU 12517) is based on the misidentification of this daisy. Therefore the S. bipinnatisectus record is removed for Lady Alice Id but remains for Whatupuke Id (CHR 186732) and Coppermine Id (CHR 186733 & possibly 186727).

MONOCOTYLEDONS

Lolium rigidum* New record. My voucher of Parapholis incurva from Lady Alice Id (AKU 12532) is based on the misidentification of this grass. The P. incurva record is still valid for Lady Alice and it is supported by AK 99363.

Xeronema callistemon An interesting record worth repeating. A battered clump (not growing) was found ashore on Lady Alice by Cranwell & Moore (1935) who presumed it to be sea-carried from the Poor Knights Is.

These three additional (living) species and one subtraction increase the Lady Alice Id vascular flora to 281 taxa and the three main Chicken Islands combined flora to 321 taxa.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To Colin Webb, Bill Sykes and Bryony Macmillan for assistance with identifications. Richard Parrish to responding to my request for a specimen of the Lady Alice willow; and Ian McFadden for providing the 'Northern Advocate' supplement article and historical information on the Hen and Chickens Islands.

REFERENCES

Cameron, E.K. 1984: Vascular of the three largest Chickens (Marotere) Islands: Lady Alice, Whatupuke, Coppermine; north-east New Zealand. Tane 30:53-75. Cranwell, L.M. and Moore, L.B. 1935: Botanical notes on the Hen and Chickens. Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum 1(6): 301-318. Holmgren, P.K.; Holmgren, N.H. and Barrett, L.C. 1990: Index Herbariorum, ed 8. Regnum vegetabile 120: 1-693. Webb, C.J. 1988: Notes on the Senecio lautus complex in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 26: 481-484. Webb, C.J.; Sykes, W.R. and Garnock-Jones, P.J. 1988: Flora of New Zealand. Vol IV. Christchurch, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.

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