Cephaloziella nothogena R.M.Schust.
Cephaloziella nothogena R.M.Schust., Nova Hedwigia 63: 37. f. 8. 1996.
Holotype: New Zealand, North Is., Tongariro Natl. Park, open valley at head of Mangatepopo Stream, Schuster 95-1371.
Plants usually gregarious in small, dense, interwoven patches, mostly amidst mosses, occasionally scattered, green (when shaded) to brownish, the perianths and bracts locally reddish pigmented, the sterile ones 190–225 µm wide, only 3–6 mm high. Branching common, irregular, the branches all intercalary, all or at least predominately ventral-intercalary, never strongly elongating (the plants forming a low turf under optimal conditions). Stem with cortical cells firm-walled. Rhizoids colorless, abundantly produced. Leaves rather stiff, obliquely spreading, in situ very weakly folded below the sinus, which is sometimes feebly gibbous or recurved, transversely inserted dorsally but somewhat obliquely ventrally, unistratose, rounded-quadrate in outline (when flattened), varying from 150 µm wide × 160 µm long to 185–200 µm wide × 190–215 µm long, toward shoot apices to 210 µm wide × 170–190 µm long, bilobed to (0.35)0.4–0.55; lobes mostly blunt or narrowly rounded at the tips (acute on leaves of weak shoots), 8–9 cells broad at the base; leaf margins smooth, entire; abaxial face unarmed; sinus subacute to somewhat obtuse on flattened leaves, the sinus base blunt or rounded. Cells of mature leaves usually pale to conspicuously brownish pigmented, with walls weakly thickened, the angles rounded, at lobe bases 11–15 × 13–18 µm up to (11)13–17 µm wide × 21–28 µm long; surface very finely verrucose, toward leaf bases becoming striolate. Underleaves present throughout on mature sterile axes, spreading and visible in lateral aspect of plant, mostly lingulate or ovate-lingulate, typically at least 0.15–0.2 the area of leaves on vigorous shoots; apex usually rounded-truncate and retuse or sometimes shallowly bilobed; underleaves on gemmiparous shoots becoming larger, often 0.5–0.6 as long and 0.25–0.3 the area of lateral leaves. Gemmae rare and sparingly produced, 2-celled, ellipsoid, smooth, the mature ones weakly rust-red, ca. 10–12 × 14–16 µm or smaller.
Paroecious and abundantly fertile; separate androecia not produced. Fertile shoot apices gradually larger-leaved, the 1–2 gyres of leaves below the ♀ bracts androecial, much larger, concave, with erect and sheathing lobes, the ♂ bracts subquadrate and rounded, bilobed to ca. 0.5; bract lobes triangular, those of inner bracts serrulate-denticulate like those of ♀ bracts, usually hyaline-margined for 1(2) rows; distal-most gyre of ♂ bracts accompanied by a large, usually bifid bracteole; antheridia 1 per bract, the stalk only 4–5 cells long, uniseriate. Gynoecia with bracts variable: mostly in 2 series, rounded-quadrate, at times broadly so, bilobed to ca. 0.3–0.4, with sharply serrulate-denticulate margins and a sharp apex, sometimes one bract trilobed, then one lobe often crenulate-denticulate like perianth mouth, the bract then broader; bracteole connate with bract on one side for at least 0.25–0.3 its length, nearly free or weakly connate on the other side, large, usually broadly ovate, bifid to ca. 0.3–0.35, the lobes armed like those of bracts. Perianths closely sheathed at base by the ± appressed bracts, crowded, prominent, large for plant size, 290–350(400) µm wide × 740–950 µm long or more, green below, reddish to brownish red in median sectors, becoming prominently bleached in distal third, deeply 4-plicate, the mouth narrowed but rather wide and open, truncate, crenulate-denticulate with the free tips of the thick-walled marginal cells, the marginal cells mostly 25–36(38) × 7–11 µm (ca. 3–5:1), isolated cells shorter and broad; perianth unistratose throughout.
Sporophyte unknown.
Distribution and Ecology : Endemic to New Zealand: North Island (ca. 1200 m).
Known only from the type collection, on water-deposited, silty soil; the species grows under “difficult” conditions, on open ground, between mosses and in tiny gregarious patches, fully exposed to the sun, where desiccated for much of the time (Schuster, 1996a).
Comments : This is the only paroecious species of Cephaloziella in New Zealand. Perianths are copiously developed, prominent and subtended by ♀ bracts with serrulate-denticulate lobes, and directly below those bracts, 1–2 pairs of large, imbricate, concave leaves that bear antheridia in their axils. The perianth mouth is narrowed and truncate, but rather wide and open, and is crenulate-denticulate, with narrow, thick-walled marginal cells that are ca. 3–5:1. Underleaves are present throughout on mature sterile axes and are visible when shoots are examined in lateral aspect. Leaf lobes are often blunt or narrowly rounded at the apex (except acute on weak shoots) and 8–9 cells wide at the base, and the cells are relatively large, 11–15 × 13–18 µm up to (11)13–17 µm wide × 21–28 µm long at lobe bases. The species belongs to sect. Rubellae (see Schuster, 1980b, p. 112).
