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Bulbinella gibbsii
Species of flowering plant endemic to New Zealand From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Bulbinella gibbsii, commonly known as Gibbs's Māori onion, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asphodelaceae. It is endemic to New Zealand, mostly found in the South Island. B. gibbsii is typically found in cold habitats in soils with high water content, and typically in tussock grasslands. There are two recognised varieties of B. gibbsii, var. gibbsii and var. balanifera. B. gibbsii, var. gibbsii reaches a height of up to 300 mm tall, while var. balanifera can reach 600 mm tall. B. gibbsii was first described in 1909 by the New Zealand botanist Leonard Cockayne, var. balanifera was described by the botanist Lucy Moore in 1964. It gets its specific epithet, gibbsii, after the New Zealand educationalist Frederick Gibbs.
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Description
Bulbinella gibbsii is a species of subdioecious perennial herb in the family Asphodelaceae and the subfamily Asphodeloideae. It reaches a height of up to 300 mm tall.[1][2] B gibbsii var. balanifera reaches a height of 600 mm tall, with slightly longer peduncles and pedicels compared to var. gibbsii.[2][3] Its leaves are strap-like in character and up to 30 mm wide, reddish-green to dark-green in colour. Its racemes are usually conical in character, sometimes cylindrical, and the central axis is visible between the flowers. Its pedicels are 10–20 mm long. Its flowers are dark-yellow in colour, 10–14 mm in diameter, and typically has six tepals with anthers filled with pollen.[2]
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Taxonomy
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The Bulbinella genus was first established in 1843 by Carl Sigismund Kunth.[4][5] 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.[6][7] 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.[8] Bulbinella gibbsii var. gibbsii was first described by New Zealand botanist Leonard Cockayne in 1909.[1] Bulbinella gibbsii var. balanifera was first described by Lucy Moore in 1964.[9]
In 1952, Lucy Cranwell studied the pollination of various New Zealand species; in her study, she mentioned the points of similarity between the grains of South African Bulbinella species and New Zealand Chrysobactron (now known as Bulbinella) species, but no other differences were mentioned by her.[10][11] There are twenty-three species in the genus Bulbinella; seventeen of which are located in South Africa, and six in New Zealand.[12] B. gibbsii is closely allied to B. rossii, which is considerably taller reaching up to a metre in height and its infloresences are more densely covered with flowers.[1][2]
Variates
There are two recognised varieties of B. gibbsii, var. gibbsii and var. balanifera.[13]
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Etymology
The etymology (word origin) of B. gibbsii's genus name, Bulbinella, derives from the Greek βολβός, simply meaning 'bulb' (an underground plant storage structure). Both words Bulbine and Bulbinella translate to English as 'little bulb'.[14] The specific epithet (second part of the scientific name), gibbsii, is named after Frederick Gibbs,[2] a New Zealand community leader, businessman, educationalist, and naturalist.[15] The varietal epithet, balanifera, deriving from the Latin balnus, was chosen by Moore due to the resemblance of the variety's fruit to an acorn.[9] The species is commonly known as: Gibbs's Māori onion, Gibbs's lily, Gibbs's onion, or simply Māori onion.[2][3] In Moore's 1964 revision of the genus, she mentioned that the species in Fiordland was locally known as the golden star lily.[9]
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Distribution
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B. gibbsii is endemic to New Zealand.[3] Bulbinella gibbsii var. gibbsii's range is restricted to the Stewart Island, var. balanifera has a more widespread range covering the North and South Islands.[1][3] In the North Island, var. balanifera is only found in the Ruahine Range and the Tararua Range. In the South Island, var. balanifera is more common, occurring from Arthur's Pass south to Fiordland.[9] B. gibbsii var. gibbsii's 2023 assessment in the New Zealand Threat Classification System was "At Risk — Naturally Uncommon". B. gibbsii var. balanifera's assessment was evaluated as "Not Threatened".[16]
Habitat
New Zealand's Bulbinella species prefer colder habitats and soils with high water content.[17][18] B. gibbsii var. gibbsii typically occurs in boglands and subalpine areas, occasionally found in ponds and small natural pools.[1] It occurs from near sea level to almost of the summit of Mount Anglem.[1][2] B. gibbsii var. gibbsii is typically found above 1,600 ft (490 m) in elevation; but it is also abundant near sea level.[9] B. gibbsii var. balanifera occurs in alpine environments, typically in tussock grasslands, occasionally in subalpine scrublands, and likely reaching 4,500 ft (1,400 m) in elevation.[3][9] It commonly coincides with Chionochloa oreophila and C. pallens.[9][19]
Ecology
Although B. gibbsii is locally abundant in Fiordland, one of the main distribution areas for the flightless and endemic bird, the takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri), the plant is not a preferred food source for the bird.[20] However, another study found that B. gibbsii was eaten by red deer (Cervus elaphus).[21][22] B. gibbsii is likely pollinated by insects, such as bees and flies, and its seeds are later dispersed by the wind.[12]
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