Mystery Myosotis

[Maggi Young]

I don't think it minds summer rain. I've always found the only way to keep it happy in summer is lots of overhead watering...winter wet, however, might be fatal.

Oooh, yes, sorry, I'm thinking New Zealand and confusing myself.... our winter/ their summer !

[ruweiss]

Gerd Stopp distributes this fine plant since several years and offers 2 different forms, Eyre Mts.1 and 2.
Because the hot conditions in my garden it does not grow too good with me, but in my friend`s cooler
garden they grow very well all the year without any protection.

[Maggi Young]

Gerd Stopp distributes this fine plant since several years and offers 2 different forms, Eyre Mts.1 and 2.
Because the hot conditions in my garden it does not grow too good with me, but in my friend`s cooler
garden they grow very well all the year without any protection.

Good to know this, Rudi, thank you.

[David Lyttle]

While i don't have Davids expertise i tend to think at this stage it is a M. sps not named yet.

Dave,

I don't disagree with you in this instance. It does not really look like Myosotis lyallii in its typical form. It also has hairs on the undersurface of the leaf and the flowers are solitary and terminal much like those of Myosotis pulvinaris.  If it had been field collected/ photographed with a specific location I would not have danced round the point but it has been in cultivation for a while and may have been hybridised ie saxosa X pulvinaris. We need to go to the Eyres and look for it.

I will quote from Vol I  of the Flora of NewZealand  "No satisfactory account can be given of the smaller forms of the mountains extending from Central Otago to Fiordland. Many have rosettes contracted into some sort of cushion habit with salverform fls that are us. white, conspicuous, large for the size of the plant (mostly 8-10 mm. diam.) and often abundant and sweet-scented. Herbarium specimens, though numerous, are tantalizingly inadequate; neverthless, on fl.-characters and hair-types at least eight different kinds can be recognized. Some are referable to M. pulvinaris, M. cheesemanii, M. glabrescens and M. tenericaulis; others show combinations or characters like those found in M. elderi, M. suavis or M. lyallii and possibly are dwarf forms of these spp.; there is probably at least one un-described sp. "

[David Lyttle]

I have an update on the mystery Myosotis. I forwarded a picture to John Barkla who works as a botanist for the local office of DOC.

I quote from his reply.

"It's almost certainly Myosotis glabrescens, a plant that Mike Thorsen and I are doing some work on at the moment. There's very little distributional information about this species.  We saw it a couple of years ago on the Hector Mountains but there are older records from the Garvies and Eyre Mountains. It would be good to know where in the Eyres it occurs.  At the moment it has a status of Data Deficient - we hope to do some targetted survey work and try and work out what its real status is."

I also am including a quote from a footnote from Vol 1 of the Flora.

" A special point of interest lies in the position of the anthers which does not place the species neatly in either section of the genus, but suggests Exarrhena rather strongly"

I did not initially consider Myosotis glabrescens because of the position of the anthers on which point the key is misleading. The plant in the picture could not be described as "almost glabrous".  The mystery of the plants identity is a mystery no more.  The remaining mystery is from where in the Eyre Mountains the plant was sourced as John would like to know. It is considered  to be a rare plant and there is a certain irony that it is perhaps better known in cultivation than in the wild.

Thanks Maggi - this one has been a bit of a challenge but I have learnt about a plant that I was not familiar with and will be on the lookout for it in the future.

[Maggi Young]

Most interesting to get this further information, David.
Since Mike thought the plant came from Lamberton Nursery, I'll see Ron McBeath this weekend and will  ask if he knows the source derivation of the material.

[Martinr]

What a wonderful place this is! I'm off to change the labels on my plants

[David Lyttle]

Maggi,

It would be good to get the source of the plant and a location.

I would be very grateful if someone could send me some seed. I am sure John Barkla would like to see the actual plant as well.

[ChrisB]

I got mine from Ron, Maggi, in 2006.  It grows easily and quickly from cuttings too.  Sadly, mine does not seem to want to give me a whole dome of flowers, but it is a lovely little thing.  I think Sue has it too.

[t00lie]

"It's almost certainly Myosotis glabrescens, a plant that Mike Thorsen and I are doing some work on at the moment. There's very little distributional information about this species.  We saw it a couple of years ago on the Hector Mountains but there are older records from the Garvies and Eyre Mountains. It would be good to know where in the Eyres it occurs.

.

I'd be interested in knowing where it is on the Hectors --the snow has cleared and the forecast for tomorrow is good so i'm away up there first thing ---besides botanizing i have a pair of wayward sunglasses to locate beside a large flat looking ,(aren't they all!!!!), rock on one ridge, and a chain with padlock ,left behind a few weeks ago in a snow tussock on another range across the valley .

I can tell you the above has done nothing to elevate the worries my wife has, about my solo trips into the 'hills' .......

Cheers dave.

[David Lyttle]

Dave,

Unless it is in flower it will be difficult to tell apart from Myosotis pulvinaris.  I suspect it it is tighter growing in the wild than the pictures we have seen posted on the forum. Good luck!

[ranunculus]

.

I'd be interested in knowing where it is on the Hectors --the snow has cleared and the forecast for tomorrow is good so i'm away up there first thing ---besides botanizing i have a pair of wayward sunglasses to locate beside a large flat looking ,(aren't they all!!!!), rock on one ridge, and a chain with padlock ,left behind a few weeks ago in a snow tussock on another range across the valley .

I can tell you the above has done nothing to elevate the worries my wife has, about my solo trips into the 'hills' .......

Cheers dave.

Dave,
We happen to know what you are doing with chains and padlocks in the wild, but newcomers to the forum MIGHT be slightly suspicious (especially when you mention that your solo trips are beginning to worry your lovely wife ...  )?   

[Mike Ireland]

David
Thanks for all the information.  I will let you know if seed is set, I have been busy with one of my wife's small paint brushes.

[Maggi Young]

Well now, look what was on the show bench in Perth yesterday.......


...not the best specimen and I'm not sure whether this will be the #1 or #2 types spoken about earlier .....but interesting nonetheless.   Perhaps someone can remind me whose plant it is???
I asked Ron McBeath about the plant and he says he still grows it but has not been propagating it lately. ( I suggested he might be well advised to do so, soon!!) He did not collect the seed himself and in fact, cannot remember where he frst got  the plant from. So no further forward there on a location for you NZers to track it down, I'm afraid.... it'll be down to legwork, I reckon.......wonder if we should have a whip round for the linament? 

[ChrisB]

Hi Maggi,  I think I remember Peter Korn showing us a slide of it at one of his talks, wonder if Ron got it from him?