Three new endemic species of forget-me-nots in Aotearoa New Zealand

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Three new endemic species of forget-me-nots in Aotearoa New Zealand

Three species of Aotearoa New Zealand forget-me-nots (Myosotis, Boraginaceae) have been described in a paper by Te Papa Botany Curator Heidi Meudt and her colleague, Jessie Prebble (Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research). Each of these species is endemic to the South Island but has a restricted geographic distribution. Meet the new species below and find out how to recognise them in the field. All three species have also been beautifully illustrated by Bobbi Angell.

Myosotis hikuwai

Myosotis hikuwai is similar to other small, South Island species that have flowers with bracts, but it is unique in its upright habit (rather than being prostrate, or lying flat against the ground).

A small, spiky shrub growing out of dusty ground.
The unusual upright habit of Myosotis hikuwai. John Barkla, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Its small flowers and seeds, and leaf coloration, are most similar to those of another spring annual, M. brevis, but its larger calyx size is more like M. glauca and M. antarctica. 

A close up of a small, spiky shrub growing out of dusty ground.
Myosotis hikuwai, in flower. John Barkla, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Myosotis hikuwai is a spring annual so far known only from one locality near Wānaka, in the Hikuwai Conservation Area (hence the name!). It was first collected in 2013 by Geoff Rogers, who sent the specimens to Te Papa for us to include in our taxonomic studies.

Parts of leaves and plants laid out on a card with Laboratory specimen notes in the bottom part of the card.
The type specimen of Myosotis hikuwai Meudt et al., collected by Geoff Rogers on 4 November 2019, Wanaka, Clutha River / Mata Au, New Zealand. CC BY 4.0. Te Papa (SP108906)

See Bobbi Angell’s illustration of M. hikuwai here.

Myosotis ultramafica

M. ultramafica is named after the iron- and magnesium-rich ultramafic habitats where it is found in Southland and Otago.

A small, spiky shrub growing out of rocky ground.
Look how well the plant blends into its rocky habitat! Habit of Myosotis ultramafica Meudt et al., collected by Heidi Meudt and colleagues on 27 January 2022, Bald Hill area, New Zealand. CC BY 4.0. Te Papa (SP114495)
Rocky ground on top of a mountain. There are other mountains and cloudy blue skies in the distance.
Rocky, ultramafic habitat of Myosotis ultramafica Meudt et al., collected by Heidi Meudt and colleagues on 27 January 2022, Bald Hill area, New Zealand. CC BY 4.0. Te Papa (SP114495)

Its inflorescences are short and unbranched, and only some of the flowers and fruits have bracts.

A close up of a small, spiky shrub growing out of rocky ground. There are three stems with reddish flowers on them.
Fruiting calyces of Myosotis ultramafica Meudt et al., collected by Heidi Meudt and colleagues on 27 January 2022, Bald Hill area, New Zealand. CC BY 4.0. Te Papa (SP114495)

The leaves of M. ultramafica are narrowly obovate or oblanceolate, much longer than wide, and have straight, appressed, parallel hairs.

Two long leaves with white lines or hairs on them are laid out on a rock.
Leaves of Myosotis ultramafica Meudt et al., showing upper surface (above) and lower surface (below); note straight, appressed hairs on both sides. Collected by Heidi Meudt and colleagues on 27 January 2022, Bald Hill area, New Zealand. CC BY 4.0. Te Papa (SP114495)

See Bobbi Angell’s illustration of M. ultramafica here.

Myosotis venticola

M. venticola is found only in high-elevation sites from Otago.

A small, green shrub growing out of rocky ground.
Myosotis venticola leaves and habit. John Barkla, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

We collected specimens of this species in gale-force winds in the Dunstan Mountains.

As a tribute to its wind-swept habitats, we named the species M. venticola meaning ‘inhabiting windy areas’.

A bare-looking mountaintop withs some small shrubs on it.
The windswept habitat of Myosotis venticola Meudt & Prebble, collected by Heidi Meudt and colleagues on 26 January 2021 in the Dunstan Mountains, New Zealand. CC BY 4.0. Te Papa (SP111279)

One of the unique characteristics of this plant is that it has backward-facing hairs not only on the underside of the leaves, but also mixed in with forward-facing hairs on the upper surface!

Two small rounded leaves with small hairs on them are laid out on a rock.
Leaves of Myosotis venticola Meudt & Prebble, showing the upper (left) and lower (right) surfaces. Note the retrorse (backward-facing) hairs on both surfaces. Collected by Heidi Meudt and colleagues on 25 January 2021, in the Dunstan Mountains, New Zealand. CC BY 4.0. Te Papa (SP111276)

See Bobbi Angell’s illustration of M. venticola here.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Geoff Rogers, Brian Rance, Jessie Prebble, John Barkla and Ngāi Tahu for their contributions to this research and the new species names. Additional thanks to John Barkla, who has uploaded his iNaturalist observations of these species with a CC BY 4.0 Creative Commons license, which means I could reuse them here, with attribution. I acknowledge many other landowners, colleagues and botanical enthusiasts who assisted with the fieldwork to find and document these new species.

Read the published paper here:

Meudt Heidi M., Prebble Jessica M. (2022) Morphological analyses support recognition of three new threatened species of bracteate–prostrate Myosotis (Boraginaceae) endemic to the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand. Australian Systematic Botany 35, 364-394.

 

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