Raven, Peter H.

English

Keck Graduate Institute

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany
Volume 5 | Issue 3 Article 3
1963
The Generic Position of "Boisduvalia Tasmanica"
Peter H. Raven
Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/aliso
Part of the Botany Commons
Recommended Citation
Raven, Peter H. (1963) "The Generic Position of "Boisduvalia Tasmanica"," Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany: Vol.
5: Iss. 3, Article 3.
Available at: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/aliso/vol5/iss3/3
ALISO 
VoL. 5, No.3, pp. 247-249 APRIL 15, 1963 
THE GENERIC POSITION 
OF "BOISDUV ALIA TASMANICA" 
PETER H. RAVEN 1 
In the year 1847, J.D. Hooker, in his "Florae Tasmaniae Spicilegium: or, Contributions 
towards a Flora of Van Diemen's Land" (Lond. J. Botan. 6: 475) described Oenothera 
ta.rmanica, basing it on a collection sent by Ronald Gunn from Marlborough, Tasmania. 
Hooker compared his new species closely with 0. dentata Cav. of North and South America, 
despite the fact that it had "Flores purpurei," whereas 0. dentata~ has bright yellow flowers. 
Later, in his Flora T asmaniae ( 1: 119. 1860) Hooker for the most part repeated his 1847 
description but questioned the color of the flowers. Bentham, on the other hand, in his 
treatment of the spcies in the Flora Au.rtraliensis ( 3: 303. 1866) stated that its flowers were 
yellow and that "Further specimens may possibly show the two [i.e., Oenothera ta.rmanica 
and 0. dentata] to be forms only of one species." 
Oenothera tasmanica retained its position as the only species of Oenothera native to Old 
World until1942 when Dr. P. A. Munz transferred it, without much comment, to Boisdu-
valia, stating: "Evidently very near to B. Klabella, but apparently separable by having the 
capsule enlarged somewhat in upper portion" (Darwiniana 5: 142. 1942). 
Winifred M. Curtis, of the University of Tasmania, Hobart, first called my attention to 
the fact that" Boiduvalia tasmanica" was closely similar to some of the Tasmanian species of 
Epilobium, and further that it was not an annual, like all other species of Boisduvalia, but 
perennial, and occurred in closed grassland communities in the mountains of Tasmania. She 
further pointed out that it was not entirely restricted to Tasmania. but occurred in the moun-
tains of Victoria on the Australian mainland. Later, she very kindly sent seeds of this species 
collected by Mr. W. D. Jackson in the Kosciusko Range of the mainland. I was able to grow 
the plant in Claremont from these seeds, and this provided ample material for a re-evaluation 
of its generic status. 
"Boisduvalia tasmanica" is clearly not referable to Oenothera, as can be inferred from its 
erect sepals, purple flowers, and pollen in tetrads, among other characteristics. There seems 
to be no doubt that Munz was correct in placing it in the tribe Epilobieae. There is more 
reason however to question its generic position. As I understand it, tribe Epilobieae includes 
three genera, Epilobium, Zauschneria, and Boi.rduvt:tlia. Zauschneria~ consisting of several 
suffrutescent species with tubular red flowers, is endemic to the southwestern United States 
and adjacent Mexico, and need not concern us further here. Excluding "Boisduvalia tas-
manica" for the moment, the distinctions between Epilobium and Boisduvalia are as 
follows: all species of Boisduvalia are annual and lack a coma on the seed; only two or 
possibly three species of Epilobium are annual. In only two cases (E. glandulosum Lehm. 
var. ecomosum Fassett; and a form of E. glandulosum found in the Hortus Bergianus, 
Stockholm-d. Sv. Botan. Tidskr. 52: 191-192, 550-551. 1958) have species of Epilobium 
been found to lack a coma, the tuft of hairs at the chalaza! end of the seed which aids in 
dispersing the seeds of these plants. 
1 Present address: Division of Systematic Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. I am most 
grateful to Miss Gretel W. Dalby for the illustration. 
[247] 
248 ALISO [VoL. 5, No. 3 
Notwithstanding this, there are a number of reasons why "Boisduvalia tasmanica," 
despite its lack of a coma, is better considered a species of Epilobium. As mentioned above, 
all species of Boisduvalia are annual, and they are confined to arid western North and South 
America, often growing in places that are moist, at least in the spring. On the other hand, 
Fig. 1-3. Fig. 1. Epilobium curtisiae (Boisduvalia tasmanica), from an isotype (R. Gunn 1065; BM) ; 
lA. Habit, X 2; lB. Leaf axil, showing pubescence, X 10; lC. Seed, X 20.-Fig. 2. E. confertifolium, 
from Mt. Bonpland, South Island, N. Z. (Gibbs 1184; BM) ; 2A. Habit, X 2; 2B. Leaf axil, showing 
pubescence, X 10; 2C. Seed, X 20.-Fig. 3. Boisduz·alia glabella, from Bozeman, Mont. (Blankinship 
188; BM); 3A. Habit, X 2; 3B. Leaf axil, showing pubescence, X 10; 3C. Seed, X 20. 
"B. tasmanica", as Winifred Curtis suggested, is a perennial (Fig. 1A). Furthermore, its 
leaves are opposite nearly to the summits of the stems, just as in Epilobium confertifolium 
Hook. f. (Fig. 2) and related species of Haussknecht's (Monogr. Epil., p. 295. 1884) 
Australasian group Microphyllae; in species of Boisduvalia, all of the leaves beyond the 
seedling stage are alternate. Unlike any species of Boisduvalia (Fig. 3B, B. glabella (Nutt.) 
Walp.), "B. tasmanica" has hairs on the stems extending down in lines from the bases of 
the petioles (Fig. 1B), as do many species of Epilobium (Fig. 2B). Munz (Darwiniana 5: 
126. 1941) states that the anthers of Boisduvalia are basifixed, wheres in Epilobium they 
APRIL 15, 1963] BOISDUV ALIA 249 
are versatile, but a re-examination has shown that in all members of the tribe Epilobieae, 
including "B. tasmanica", the anthers are versatile, although in self-pollinating species they 
may be reduced in size. Despite their lack of a coma, the narrowly winged seeds of "B. 
tasmanica" (Fig. 1C) are more similar to those of Epilobium confertifolium (Fig. 2C) in 
shape than they are to those of Boisduvalia glabella (Fig. 3C). Moreover, the papery 
capsules of "B. tasmanica," which readily split nearly to the base (Fig. 1A) are much more 
similar to those of E. confertifolium (Fig. 2A) than they are to the tough, tardily dehiscent 
capsules of Boisduvalia glabella. Finally, the strain of "B. tasmanica" mentioned above 
(seeds from the Kosciusko Range, S.E. Australia, March 1961, W. D. Jackson; progeny, 
Raven 18049, DS2 , RSA) at meiotic metaphase I formed 18 pairs of chromosomes, like 
every other Old World species of Epilobium, including several of the Microphyllae, that 
has been examined; whereas the only chromosome numbers known in Boisduvaiia are 
n=9, 10, 15, and 19 (Lewis et al., Aliso 4:73-86. 1958; Raven and Moore, unpubl.). 
Therefore, the evidence that "Boisduvalia tasmanica" should be referred to Epilobium, 
series Microphyllae, despite its lack of a coma, appears conclusive. Boisduvalia should 
therefore be removed from the list of genera purporting to show a floristic connection 
between southern South America and Australasia, and "B. tasmanica" should be regarded 
as a species of Epilobium aberrant in a single striking characteristic, its lack of a coma. The 
fact that the epithet "tasrnanicum" has already been employed in the genus Epilobium makes 
it incumbent on me to select a new specific name for the present species in that genus, and 
thus I have the pleasure of naming it in honor of Winifred Curtis, who has helped me so 
much with this species, and whose studies of Tasmanian plants have done so much to 
increase our knowledge of them. The following synonymy is indicated: 
Epilobium curtisiae, nom. nov. 
Oenothera tasmanica Hook. f., Lond. J. Botan. 6: 475. 1847. Type from Marlborough, 
Tasmania, 5 January 1841, R. Gunn 1065 (holotype, K; photograph, POM; isotypes, BM, 
CAMB). Boisduvalia tasmanica (Hook. f.) Munz, Darwiniana 5: 142. 194L Non Epi-
lobium tasmanicum Hausskn., Mongr. Epil., p. 296. 1884. 
2Standard herbarium abbreviations of Lanjouw and Stafleu, Reg. Veg. 15: 1-249. 1959. 


The Generic Position of  Boisduvalia Tasmanica

Scholarship@Claremont

Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary BotanyVolume 5 | Issue 3 Article 31963The Generic Position of "Boisduvalia Tasmanica"Peter H. RavenFollow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/alisoPart of the Botany CommonsRecommended CitationRaven, Peter H. (1963) "The Generic Position of "Boisduvalia Tasmanica"," Aliso: A Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany: Vol.5: Iss. 3, Article 3.Available at: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/aliso/vol5/iss3/3ALISO VoL. 5, No.3, pp. 247-249 APRIL 15, 1963 THE GENERIC POSITION OF "BOISDUV ALIA TASMANICA" PETER H. RAVEN 1 In the year 1847, J.D. Hooker, in his "Florae Tasmaniae Spicilegium: or, Contributions towards a Flora of Van Diemen's Land" (Lond. J. Botan. 6: 475) described Oenothera ta.rmanica, basing it on a collection sent by Ronald Gunn from Marlborough, Tasmania. Hooker compared his new species closely with 0. dentata Cav. of North and South America, despite the fact that it had "Flores purpurei," whereas 0. dentata~ has bright yellow flowers. Later, in his Flora T asmaniae ( 1: 119. 1860) Hooker for the most part repeated his 1847 description but questioned the color of the flowers. Bentham, on the other hand, in his treatment of the spcies in the Flora Au.rtraliensis ( 3: 303. 1866) stated that its flowers were yellow and that "Further specimens may possibly show the two [i.e., Oenothera ta.rmanica and 0. dentata] to be forms only of one species." Oenothera tasmanica retained its position as the only species of Oenothera native to Old World until1942 when Dr. P. A. Munz transferred it, without much comment, to Boisdu-valia, stating: "Evidently very near to B. Klabella, but apparently separable by having the capsule enlarged somewhat in upper portion" (Darwiniana 5: 142. 1942). Winifred M. Curtis, of the University of Tasmania, Hobart, first called my attention to the fact that" Boiduvalia tasmanica" was closely similar to some of the Tasmanian species of Epilobium, and further that it was not an annual, like all other species of Boisduvalia, but perennial, and occurred in closed grassland communities in the mountains of Tasmania. She further pointed out that it was not entirely restricted to Tasmania. but occurred in the moun-tains of Victoria on the Australian mainland. Later, she very kindly sent seeds of this species collected by Mr. W. D. Jackson in the Kosciusko Range of the mainland. I was able to grow the plant in Claremont from these seeds, and this provided ample material for a re-evaluation of its generic status. "Boisduvalia tasmanica" is clearly not referable to Oenothera, as can be inferred from its erect sepals, purple flowers, and pollen in tetrads, among other characteristics. There seems to be no doubt that Munz was correct in placing it in the tribe Epilobieae. There is more reason however to question its generic position. As I understand it, tribe Epilobieae includes three genera, Epilobium, Zauschneria, and Boi.rduvt:tlia. Zauschneria~ consisting of several suffrutescent species with tubular red flowers, is endemic to the southwestern United States and adjacent Mexico, and need not concern us further here. Excluding "Boisduvalia tas-manica" for the moment, the distinctions between Epilobium and Boisduvalia are as follows: all species of Boisduvalia are annual and lack a coma on the seed; only two or possibly three species of Epilobium are annual. In only two cases (E. glandulosum Lehm. var. ecomosum Fassett; and a form of E. glandulosum found in the Hortus Bergianus, Stockholm-d. Sv. Botan. Tidskr. 52: 191-192, 550-551. 1958) have species of Epilobium been found to lack a coma, the tuft of hairs at the chalaza! end of the seed which aids in dispersing the seeds of these plants. 1 Present address: Division of Systematic Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. I am most grateful to Miss Gretel W. Dalby for the illustration. [247] 248 ALISO [VoL. 5, No. 3 Notwithstanding this, there are a number of reasons why "Boisduvalia tasmanica," despite its lack of a coma, is better considered a species of Epilobium. As mentioned above, all species of Boisduvalia are annual, and they are confined to arid western North and South America, often growing in places that are moist, at least in the spring. On the other hand, Fig. 1-3. Fig. 1. Epilobium curtisiae (Boisduvalia tasmanica), from an isotype (R. Gunn 1065; BM) ; lA. Habit, X 2; lB. Leaf axil, showing pubescence, X 10; lC. Seed, X 20.-Fig. 2. E. confertifolium, from Mt. Bonpland, South Island, N. Z. (Gibbs 1184; BM) ; 2A. Habit, X 2; 2B. Leaf axil, showing pubescence, X 10; 2C. Seed, X 20.-Fig. 3. Boisduz·alia glabella, from Bozeman, Mont. (Blankinship 188; BM); 3A. Habit, X 2; 3B. Leaf axil, showing pubescence, X 10; 3C. Seed, X 20. "B. tasmanica", as Winifred Curtis suggested, is a perennial (Fig. 1A). Furthermore, its leaves are opposite nearly to the summits of the stems, just as in Epilobium confertifolium Hook. f. (Fig. 2) and related species of Haussknecht's (Monogr. Epil., p. 295. 1884) Australasian group Microphyllae; in species of Boisduvalia, all of the leaves beyond the seedling stage are alternate. Unlike any species of Boisduvalia (Fig. 3B, B. glabella (Nutt.) Walp.), "B. tasmanica" has hairs on the stems extending down in lines from the bases of the petioles (Fig. 1B), as do many species of Epilobium (Fig. 2B). Munz (Darwiniana 5: 126. 1941) states that the anthers of Boisduvalia are basifixed, wheres in Epilobium they APRIL 15, 1963] BOISDUV ALIA 249 are versatile, but a re-examination has shown that in all members of the tribe Epilobieae, including "B. tasmanica", the anthers are versatile, although in self-pollinating species they may be reduced in size. Despite their lack of a coma, the narrowly winged seeds of "B. tasmanica" (Fig. 1C) are more similar to those of Epilobium confertifolium (Fig. 2C) in shape than they are to those of Boisduvalia glabella (Fig. 3C). Moreover, the papery capsules of "B. tasmanica," which readily split nearly to the base (Fig. 1A) are much more similar to those of E. confertifolium (Fig. 2A) than they are to the tough, tardily dehiscent capsules of Boisduvalia glabella. Finally, the strain of "B. tasmanica" mentioned above (seeds from the Kosciusko Range, S.E. Australia, March 1961, W. D. Jackson; progeny, Raven 18049, DS2 , RSA) at meiotic metaphase I formed 18 pairs of chromosomes, like every other Old World species of Epilobium, including several of the Microphyllae, that has been examined; whereas the only chromosome numbers known in Boisduvaiia are n=9, 10, 15, and 19 (Lewis et al., Aliso 4:73-86. 1958; Raven and Moore, unpubl.). Therefore, the evidence that "Boisduvalia tasmanica" should be referred to Epilobium, series Microphyllae, despite its lack of a coma, appears conclusive. Boisduvalia should therefore be removed from the list of genera purporting to show a floristic connection between southern South America and Australasia, and "B. tasmanica" should be regarded as a species of Epilobium aberrant in a single striking characteristic, its lack of a coma. The fact that the epithet "tasrnanicum" has already been employed in the genus Epilobium makes it incumbent on me to select a new specific name for the present species in that genus, and thus I have the pleasure of naming it in honor of Winifred Curtis, who has helped me so much with this species, and whose studies of Tasmanian plants have done so much to increase our knowledge of them. The following synonymy is indicated: Epilobium curtisiae, nom. nov. Oenothera tasmanica Hook. f., Lond. J. Botan. 6: 475. 1847. Type from Marlborough, Tasmania, 5 January 1841, R. Gunn 1065 (holotype, K; photograph, POM; isotypes, BM, CAMB). Boisduvalia tasmanica (Hook. f.) Munz, Darwiniana 5: 142. 194L Non Epi-lobium tasmanicum Hausskn., Mongr. Epil., p. 296. 1884. 2Standard herbarium abbreviations of Lanjouw and Stafleu, Reg. Veg. 15: 1-249. 1959. 

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The Generic Position of Boisduvalia Tasmanica

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