Myosotis brevis
Myosotis brevis is a species of flowering plant in the family Boraginaceae, endemic to New Zealand. George Simpson and J.S. Thomson described M. pygmaea var. minutiflora in 1942, and Peter de Lange and John Barkla recognized it at species rank in 2010, as M. brevis. Plants of this species of forget-me-not are small and annual, with a prostrate habit, bracteate inflorescences, tiny white corollas, and brown or green leaves.
Taxonomy and etymology
Myosotis brevis de Lange & Barkla is in the plant family Boraginaceae, was originally described as M. pygmaea var. minutiflora in 1942 by George Simpson and J.S. Thomson, and was later recognized at species rank by Peter de Lange and John Barkla, as M. brevis, in 2010. The species required a new name since M. minutiflora Boiss. & Reut., an unrelated northern hemisphere species, was already published. The most recent taxonomic revision continues to recognize M. brevis at the species level, and it ss morphologically most similar to the other bracteate-prostrate species endemic to New Zealand in the pygmy subgroup, i.e. Myosotis glauca and M. antarctica. ''Myosotis brevis is the smallest New Zealand forget-me-not and differs from all other Myosotis in its small corolla, short calyx, and small nutlets .The holotype specimen of Myosotis pygmaea var. minutiflora is lodged at the Allan Herbarium of Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research. The specific epithet, brevis, is derived from Latin and means 'short', whereas minutiflora'' is also derived from Latin and means 'small flowered'.
Description
Myosotis brevis plants are single rosettes. The rosette leaves have petioles 1–7 mm long. The rosette leaf blades are 1–9 mm long by 1–4 mm wide, narrowly oblanceolate to broadly obovate, widest at or above the middle, green or brown, with an obtuse apex. The upper surface of the leaf is densely covered in flexuous, appressed to erect, antrorse hairs, whereas the lower surface of the leaf is similar but with fewer hairs. Each rosette has multiple prostrate, bracteate inflorescences that are up to 5 cm long. The cauline leaves are similar in size and shape to the rosette leaves and become sessile toward the tip. Each inflorescence has up to 17 flowers, each borne on a very short pedicel, with a bract.The calyx is 1–2 mm long at flowering and 2–4 mm long at fruiting, lobed to one-third or two-thirds its length, and hairs that are more densely distributed on the calyx ribs, and sometimes of two different lengths and types. The corolla is white or cream, or sometimes pale blue or blue-striped, up to 2 mm in diameter, with a cylindrical tube, and small yellow scales alternating with the petals. The anthers are very short and fully included. The four smooth, shiny nutlets are usually 0.9–1.2 mm long by 0.5–0.8 mm wide and are ovoid in shape. M. brevis has M. discolor type pollen, which is distinctive amongst all bracteate-prostrate species in New Zealand. It flowers during the months September–April and fruits during the months October–April. Peak flowering and fruiting occurs October–December.