Bulbinella modesta
Bulbinella modesta is a species of flowering plant in the family Asphodelaceae. It is endemic to the South Island of New Zealand, only found in the West Coast Region in damp lowland areas. It is a slender plant reaching 300 mm in height. B. modesta was first described in 1964 by the New Zealand botanist Lucy Moore. It gets its specific epithet, modesta, in reference to "the modest dimensions of the plant" compared to other species it had previously been placed in.
Description
Bulbinella modesta is a species of perennial herb in the family Asphodelaceae and the subfamily Asphodeloideae. It is very slender, reaching 300 mm in height. Its roots are swollen and are fusiform in character. Its leaves are bright-green in colour, less than 10 mm wide, and linear in character. Its inflorescences are short. Its flowers are star-like in character, yellow-coloured, with 9.5–13 mm long perianths. Its bracteoles are short. Its pedicels are long and spreading. Its capsules are globe-shaped and 4.5–5 mm in diameter. Its seeds are brown in colour and 3.5–4 mm long.Taxonomy
The Bulbinella genus was first established in 1843 by Carl Sigismund Kunth. Initially, six species from the Cape of Good Hope, in South Africa, were placed in the genus Bulbinella; three of them transferred from other genera and three of the species were described as new. In 1845, Joseph Dalton Hooker based his new genus Chrysobactron on B. rossii specimens collected from Campbell Island. B. rossii was first published in the Flora Antarctica by him, noting that Chrysobactron was "very nearly allied" and was similar to the South African Bulbinella genus, but he decided not to move the new genus into it. In 1906, botanist Thomas Cheeseman had doubted numerous times about the generic status of the New Zealand species and placed them in Bulbinella rather than in Chrysobactron. B. modesta was first described in 1964 by the New Zealand botanist Lucy Moore in her revison of New Zealand's Bulbinella species.In 1952, Lucy Cranwell studied the pollination of various New Zealand plant species; in her study, she mentioned the points of similarity between the grains of South African Bulbinella species and New Zealand Chrysobactron species, but no other differences were mentioned by her. There are twenty-three species in the genus Bulbinella; seventeen of which are located in South Africa, and six in New Zealand. B. modesta is closely allied to B. hookeri, but differs due to its thinner leaves and growth habitat.
Etymology
The etymology of B. modestas genus name, Bulbinella, derives from the Greek βολβός, simply meaning 'bulb'. Both words Bulbine and Bulbinella translate to English as 'little bulb'. The specific epithet, modesta, was chosen by Moore to denote "the modest dimensions of the plant" in comparrison with other species it had previously been placed in.Distribution
Bulbinella modesta is endemic to New Zealand. It is only found in the West Coast Region of the South Island, ranging from Westport in the Buller District to as far south as about Ōkārito. B. modestas 2023 assessment in the New Zealand Threat Classification System was "At Risk — Naturally Uncommon".Habitat
New Zealand's Bulbinella species prefer colder habitats and soils with high water content. B. modesta typically occurs in boglands, damp lowland areas, and near swamp associated forests. It commonly occurs above sea level. B. modesta is commonly associated with Austroderia richardii and Phormium tenax.Works cited
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