Seaweeds of New Zealand : an illustrated guide / Nancy M. Adams.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 336-345) and index.

Acknowledgments -- List of plates -- Preface -- Introduction -- Distribution of marine algae -- Collecting seaweeds -- History of marine botany in New Zealand -- Resident collectors, 1850-1950 -- Standard herbarium abbreviations -- Explanatory notes -- I: Green seaweeds -- II: Brown seaweeds -- III: Red seaweeds -- References -- Glossary -- Index.

‘The marine algae belong to a large group of plants that, by comparison with other plant groups in the New Zealand flora, are generally little known and frequently disregarded. This is almost certainly because no single publication since the Flora Novae Zelandiae of 1855 has treated the three main divisions of seaweeds - green, brown and red - together by using concise descriptions and, above all, coloured illustrations. Therefore the purpose of this book is to make familiar a wide range of macroscopic seaweeds selected from most of the genera currently recognised in New Zealand. The species are arranged systematically under order, family and genus using the Latin binomials consisting of a validly published generic name and a specific epithet which together cannot be applied to any other entity. Although some Latin names may seem daunting (few common names exist for seaweeds) they are, with their authorities, essential to the botanical correctness of the text. Under every genus the widely accepted species are described whether common or rare; other records are listed sometimes with doubt, because disagreement over the definition of species exists among botanists especially in genera commonly considered to be “difficult”. Often a plant may vary markedly according to habitat, resulting in a superfluity of names at either species or varietal level. These names may have been accepted or rejected according to preference. Few varietal names have been used in this text. The questionable status of names may also be the result of erroneous published records based on mixed or incorrectly labelled material, or on misidentifications. Many early collections made by visiting botanists were given the European names of the species they most resembled, or they were independently described as new species by more than one author. As these original or type specimens may be widely dispersed in overseas herbaria they are only slowly being compared, often resulting in the alteration of previously well-known names. The specimen an author described as a new species is known as the type, and as the practice of denoting a type specimen is a comparatively recent one, the search for seaweed specimens on which names are based in 18th or early 19th century collections may require considerable time and effort. Where, for reasons of priority or as a result of research, a well-known name has been changed, the new and former names are given in this text along with the first or base name, the basionym, with its author and date of publication, the original locality and, where known, the initials of the herbarium holding the type specimen. Many little-known seaweeds are included to invite further investigation. For most entries representative specimens lodged in New Zealand herbaria are listed. Specimens from V.W. Lindauer’s widely-distributed Algae Nova Zelandicae Exsiccatae, many of which are of type status, are referred to as Lindauer, Alg. N.Z. Excicc. No.000. The drawings show the plants as they would be seen floating and spread for examination in a shallow dish or rock pool. The wonderful colours the seaweeds exhibit in situ are often lost when the moving plants are taken from the water, especially the vivid blue or green iridescence. However, the drawings show as nearly as possible the colours of a freshly-gathered plant as seen on an opaque, white background. Magnified details have been sketched mostly under a low-power compound microscope from a fragment of thallus placed in a drop of water on a glass microscope slide and under a coverslip. Aqueous glycerine should be used to replace the drop of water as it controls evaporation, holds the turgidity of the cells and clears the tissues for easy examination. Transverse sections (TS) and/or longitudinal sections (LS) of structures can be made by using a single-edged razor blade. With a little experience adequate sections can be cut under low magnification on the glass slide. The sections are then gently irrigated with water for immediate examination, or with glycerine for clearing. Usually by leaving the slides overnight, important features become obvious, for example the cortication of Ceramium or the number of pericentral cells in a Polysiphonia stem.’ -- Preface (page 11).

HAMILTON: QK 577.5 ADA 1994

GRETA POINT: 582.26(931) ADA