The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

I realise that it is a very long time since Brockie collected this Melicytus (aff. alpinus (iv) from Eagle's), but I'm interested in whether anybody knows anything about it beyond the details in Eagle's. It's a very attractive and distinctive form, and it is therefore nice to try and learn something more about it.

I should note that those details primarily pertain to its former occurrence at Lake Lyndon.

Nothing much is known about it Philip - the plant Brockie reputedly collected was said to have come from 'near Lake Lyndon' but so far repeated attempts to relocate it in that broad area have failed - and no has seen it anywhere else. It seems distinct but in the context of the variation within the M. alpinus - M. crassifolius complex its taxonomic resolution is not simple and if no further plants are found then one would have to consider other alternative hypotheses as to its taxonomic status, i.e. is it a hybrid or a 'one of' mutation.

Hope that helps.

Over the last month or so I have spent 4 days around Lake Lyndon. I think I have covered about three quarters of the lake margin. M. alpinus and what I think is M. "Blondin" (M. aff. alpinus (vii) in Eagle). I have photographs of the latter. There is another entity I am unsure of. It is on the far side of the lake where the hill slope runs straight up from the lake. Quite a bit of the slope in rubble covered and vegetation is matagouri. Corokia and Coprosma sps. On one of the steeper spots there is what looks like a large M. alpinus that runs for 2m diagonally down the slope. Is there any key these of the known but unnamed entities?

Thanks very much, Peter and Pat. You've confirmed what I thought, Peter, which is that details were thin for the original collection (nothing about habitat). My interest in it, from a horticultural perspective, is in how leafy and vibrant it is, which combined with its dynamic growth form, makes it a great garden plant (obviously not for restoration planting).

I have seen bright green, especially leafy variants of Melicytus alpinus at Deep Stream (Waitaki Valley) and near Alexandra, and they intrigue me as an alternative to other M. alpinus types. The Deep Stream plants were clearly distinctive, and were growing in high light (and I've viewed them in different seasons). I've only seen the Alexandra plants once (Conroys Rd), but I'm told by a nurseryman colleague that there are plants with similar characteristics near Ettrick.

As I've often thought, the world of Melicytus is evidently a diverse, mysterious assemblage of entities (and outliers of the kind that you mention, Peter).

There is a very complex assemblage of Melicytus forms encountered in the field. I suspect the forms illustrated in Eagle and the tag named forms ie M. "Blondin" etc are only the tip of the iceberg. Genetic evidence suggests there are perhaps four distinct lineages of small-leaved Melicytus; "flexuosus", "aff obovatus" (though Peter may disagree with calling it this) "alpinus1" and "alpinus2". These have undergone a process of hybridisation and polyploidization generating the forms we see today. This process it ongoing, making the M.alpinus agg a very successful and adaptable group being found from sea level to 1700 m in the alpine zone.