Class
Subclass
Order
Family
Genus
Classification
Nomenclature
Scientific Name:
Pilularia novae-hollandiae A.Braun, Monatsber. Königl. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin 1863: 435 (1864)
Synonymy:
- ≡ Calamistrum novae-hollandiae (A.Br.) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2, 822 (1891)
Lectotype (selected by Brownsey & Perrie 2014): Swan River [Western Australia], J. Drummond 991, Herb. Hookerianum, K 000883641; isolectotypes: BM, E
- = Pilularia novae-zealandiae Kirk, Trans. & Proc. New Zealand Inst. 9: 547, t. 29 (1877) – as novae zealandiae
- ≡ Calamistrum novae-zelandiae (Kirk) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2, 822 (1891)
Lectotype (selected by Allan 1961): Lake Pearson, T. Kirk, 2 Feb. 1876, WELT P008482!
Etymology:
Vernacular Name(s):
pillwort
Description
Aquatic or subaquatic fern, forming spreading clumps. Rhizomes long-creeping, c. 0.2 mm in diameter, rooting at nodes, straw-coloured, almost glabrous. Leaves solitary at each node, 10–60 mm long, rarely up to 90 mm long, 0.2–0.5 mm in diameter, tapering to the apex, lacking flattened segments, glabrous. Sporocarps solitary, globose, 2–4 mm in diameter, densely hairy, sessile or on stalks 1–4 mm long.
Recognition
An easily over-looked and unfern-like plant, often only recognised by the coiling of the young leaves, and by the sporocarps when they are present.
Distribution
North Island: Auckland, Volcanic Plateau, Gisborne, Southern North Island.
South Island: Marlborough, Westland, Canterbury, Otago, Southland, Fiordland.
Altitudinal range: 0–1100 m.
In the North Island, Pilularia novae-hollandiae occurs from 0–950 m in the Waikato River and around Lakes Whāngāpē, Waahi, Aratiatia, Kaitawa, Waikaremoana, Waikareiti, Taupō and Wairarapa. In the South Island it is found along the Southern Alps from Lake Rotoroa to Lake Monowai at 10–1100 m, in lakes along the west coast, and in outlying populations at Falls Dam near St Bathans and Lake Onslow north of the Lammerlaw Range.
Also Australia (Western Australia, South Australia, NSW, Victoria, Tasmania).
Habitat
Grows submerged on stony or muddy bottoms in water up to 1 m deep, and on mud and silt left around lakes when the water level drops in dry periods. Sporocarps are produced in summer as the lakes begin to dry out and the water level recedes.
Biostatus
Indigenous (Non-endemic)
Cytology
2n = c. 20 (Large & Braggins 1989)
Notes
Pilularia novae-zealandiae was described from New Zealand by Kirk (1877a), and distinguished from P. novae-hollandiae by the number of sori and megaspores. Cheeseman (1925) and Allan (1961) both accepted P. novae-zealandiae as an endemic species. However, Large & Braggins (1989) compared the morphology of P. americana, P. novae-hollandiae and P. novae-zealandiae and concluded that they were extremely similar. Nagalingum et al. (2008) investigated the phylogenetic relationships of these species using five different gene markers. They concluded that there was no sequence divergence between P. novae-hollandiae and P. novae-zealandiae and that the two were conspecific. The name P. novae-hollandiae has nomenclatural priority and is therefore adopted here for the New Zealand plant.
Kirk used the name P. novae zealandiae for his new species, but Webb & Edgar (1999) suggested that the specific epithet should take a hyphen.
Bibliography
Braun, A.C.H. 1864: Über die Marsiliaceen-Gattungen Marsilia und Pilularia. Monatsberichte der Königlich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin 1863: 413–436.
Brownsey, P.J.; Perrie, L.R. 2014: Taxonomic notes on the New Zealand flora: lectotypes in Marsileaceae and Salviniaceae (water ferns). New Zealand Journal of Botany 52(2): 270–271.
Brownsey, P.J.; Perrie, L.R. 2015: Marsileaceae. In: Breitwieser, I; Heenan, P.B.; Wilton, A.D. (ed.) Flora of New Zealand — Ferns and Lycophytes. Fascicle 8. Manaaki Whenua Press, Lincoln.
Cheeseman, T.F. 1925: Manual of the New Zealand Flora. Edition 2. Government Printer, Wellington. [as Pilularia novae-zealandiae Kirk]
Crouch, N.R.; Klopper, R.R.; Burrows, J.E.; Burrows, S.M. 2011: Ferns of southern Africa. A comprehensive guide. Struik Nature, Cape Town.
de Lange, P.J.; Rolfe, J.R.; Barkla J.W.; Courtney, S.P.; Champion, P.D.; Perrie, L.R.; Beadel, S.N.; Ford, K.A.; Breitwieser, I.; Schönberger, I.; Hindmarsh-Walls, R.; Heenan, P.B.; Ladley, K. 2018: Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017. New Zealand Threat Classification Series. No. 22. [Not Threatened]
de Lange, P.J.; Rolfe, J.R.; Champion, P.D.; Courtney, S.P.; Heenan, P.B.; Barkla, J.W.; Cameron, E.K.; Norton, D.A.; Hitchmough, R.A. 2013: Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012. New Zealand Threat Classification Series 3. Department of Conservation, Wellington. [Not Threatened]
Kirk, T. 1877a: Description of a new species of Pilularia. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 9: 547.
Kirk, T. 1877b: Descriptions of new plants. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 9: 547–552. [as Pilularia novae-zealandiae Kirk]
Kuntze, C.E.O. 1891: Revisio Generum Plantarum. Vol. 2. Arthur Felix, Leipzig.
Large, M.F.; Braggins, J.E. 1989: An assessment of characters of taxonomic significance in the genus Pilularia (Marsiliaceae): with particular reference to P. americana, P. novae-hollandiae, and P. novae-zelandiae. New Zealand Journal of Botany 27: 481–486.
Large, M.F.; Braggins, J.E. 1991: Spore atlas of New Zealand ferns and fern allies. SIR Publishing, Wellington. [as Pilularia novae-zealandiae Kirk]
Nagalingum, N.S.; Nowak, M.D.; Pryer, K.M. 2008: Assessing phylogenetic relationships in extant heterosporous ferns (Salviniales), with a focus on Pilularia and Salvinia. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 157: 673–685.
Smith, A.R.; Pryer, K.M.; Schuettpelz, E.; Korall, P.; Schneider, H.; Wolf, P.G. 2006: A classification for extant ferns. Taxon 55(3): 705–731.
Webb, C.J.; Edgar, E. 1999: Spelling New Zealand in the specific and infraspecific epithets of vascular plants. New Zealand Journal of Botany 37(1): 71–77.
