Blepharidophyllum vertebrale (Taylor ex Gottsche, Lindenb. & Nees) Ångstr. ex C.Massal.
Scapania vertebralis Taylor ex Gottsche, Lindenb. & Nees, Syn. Hepat. 72. 1844.
Martinellia vertebralis (Taylor ex Gottsche, Lindenb. & Nees) Trevis., Mem. Reale Ist. Lombardo Sci. Lett. III, 4: 411. 1877.
Diplophyllum vertebrale (Taylor ex Gottsche, Lindenb. & Nees) Steph., Sp. Hepat. 4: 117. 1910.
Type: Tasmania (Insula van Diemen), mis. Dr. Greville.
[Plate 15F; Fig. 174; Fig. 169: 3, oil-bodies, p. 766]
Plants with a spongy texture, erect, pale green to yellowish to light brown, dull, at times somewhat red-brown, to 3 mm wide, 5 cm long, the shoot apices ventrally decurved. Branching rather frequent, the branches of the Frullania type. Stems in surface view finely striate-papillose, in cross section with cortex weakly to moderately differentiated, the cells in 1–2 layers with slightly to moderately thickened, brownish walls, the cells much smaller than those of the medulla; medullary cells thin-walled, but the outer medullary cells with walls feebly thickened. Rhizoids not seen. Leaves usually densely imbricate, obliquely spreading, with decurved tips, the ventral one slightly basiscopically arched, the orientation transverse, the insertion in the dorsal half slightly less oblique, incubous, in the ventral half oblique, succubous, at the ventral end basiscopically ± curved; leaves with base ensheathing, deeply canaliculate, somewhat bulging-inflated, then suddenly narrowed, when spread broadly ovate, divided to ca. 0.5, the sinus very narrow, acute, the lobes subequal or the dorsal lobe slightly shorter, the lobes broad to relatively narrow, ligulate, the summit of each lobe conspicuously divided into 2 small, acute lobes, the intervening sinus acute to obtuse, rounded at the base, the sinus base often reflexed, margins of leaves from base to apex and also the sinus with numerous pale, often curved, very long cilia, the cilia comprised of a uniseriate row of 2–4 very narrow, long, thick-walled, subcapillary cells, the cilia in basal half of margins ± tortuous, with a uniseriate row of 3–5 cells. Cells with knot-like trigones, the median cells of ventral lobe 24–32 µm wide × 35–37 µm long, median basal cells elongated, 25–30 µm wide × 48–66 µm long; surface densely, relatively coarsely, papillose, even at the leaf base (i.e., the papillae not becoming striate). Oil-bodies conspicuous, dull opaque, in all leaf cells including small, non-elongated basal cell of cilium, otherwise absent in cilia, 2 in all leaf cells except sporadically 3 in cells at leaf base, granular, subspherical to more often elliptic to sublinear to subcrescentic, 5 × 6.5 µm to 5.5–7 × 16 µm, spherical ones 7 µm in diam. Underleaves absent. Gemmae lacking. Fungal partner absent.
Dioecious. Androecia terminal, inconspicuous, very similar to sterile sectors of shoot; bracts ventricose at the base but otherwise very similar to the vegetative leaves; antheridia 2–3 per bract, the stalk 2-seriate. Gynoecia terminal on main shoots, those that have remained sterile sometimes innovating by ventral-intercalary branches; bracts very similar to vegetative leaves, slightly larger, with 2 deeply divided lobes. Perianth conspicuous, long-exserted, ca. 4× longer than wide, the base cylindrical, from the middle weakly dorsiventrally compressed, ± plicate distally, the mouth sometimes decurved, 2-lipped, the lips lobulate, the lobules with numerous long, thick-walled, uniseriate cilia. Calyptra pear-shaped, with sterile archegonia at the base.
Sporophyte unknown.
Distribution and Ecology : New Zealand: Auckland Islands, Campbell Island, Stewart Island, South Island (760–1310 m); Australia: Tasmania. In New Zealand known from Fiordland (Wilmot Pass, Mt. Burns, Manapouri), Westland (Olivine Ra. to Victoria Ra.), Canterbury (upper Wilberforce River, upper Otira valley) and Western Nelson (Matiri Plateau, Garibaldi Ridge, Arthur Ra.) EPs.
It occurs in upper montane forest of Nothofagus menziesii and N. solandri near treeline, in Chionochloa pallens tussockland on cold south-facing slopes and in gullies under Olearia colensoi, Dracophyllum longifolium and Podocarpus totara scrub. In Western Nelson it is found on the sides of marble or limestone sinkholes in the alpine zone. It has been found in Gleichenia microphylla, Carpha alpina and Empodisma minus bog with Sphagnum australe, and under Halocarpus bidwillii shrubs with Lepidothamnus laxifolius and Carpha alpina. Its habitat is similar to that of Clandarium xiphophyllum, and the two sometimes occur together. Other associated species are Anastrophyllum schismoides, Archeophylla schusteri, Bazzania involuta, Dicranoloma robustum, Eotrichocolea polyacantha, Gackstroemia alpina, Heteroscyphus billardierei, Jamesoniella kirkii, Lepicolea scolopendra and Riccardia perspicua.
Schuster (2002a, p. 503) states that the species “is not a lowland plant but occurs chiefly at elevations of 600 m and higher, where it is on soil between and/or over rocks, or sometimes epiphytic on tree bases” and (p. 504) remarks “it seems largely restricted to alpine slopes where it may occur on decayed culms at the bases of snow tussocks....”
Comments : A distinctive, elegant species that is not likely to be confused with any other of our species. The shoots have a sponge-like texture with leaves densely imbricate (Fig. 174: 1, 2). The leaf base is inflated and U-shaped in cross section (Fig. 174: 3), bisbifid, with each of the two main lobes conspicuously divided at the summit (Fig. 174: 5, 6). The leaf margins, from base to apex, are conspicuously armed with glistening cilia (Fig. 174: 1, 2, 4–6). The cilia each have a uniseriate row of 2–4 narrowly elongated, thick-walled, subcapillary cells (Fig. 174: 11).
