Lophozia druceae Grolle & E.A.Hodgs.
Lophozia druceae Grolle & E.A.Hodgs. in E.A.Hodgs., J. Roy. Soc. New Zealand 2: 112. f. 1. 1972.
Holotype: New Zealand, North Is., Mt. Pukeamaru, E. Cape, Sept. 1959, Alison C. Druce (MPN 19436 ex herb. Hodgson herb. no. 11442!).
Plants procumbent to suberect, pale yellow-brown, especially the shoots that are not exposed, but with exposure the plants often reddish tinged; sterile plants rare, the shoots typically ♂, sporadically ♀, the sterile shoots smaller than the fertile ones, the sterile ones minute to small, 85–110 µm wide, to 2.5 mm long. Branching very sparing, often in vicinity of androecia, mostly ventral-intercalary, less often lateral-intercalary. Stems 5–6 cells high, the cortex in a single layer of thick-walled cells, the exposed wall especially so; medullary cells undifferentiated, ± uniform, of firm-walled cells; cortex and medulla with most cells infected by mycorrhizae. Rhizoids scattered, not dense, present even toward shoot apices. Leaves distant to loosely imbricate, obliquely to widely spreading, dorsally assurgent, subsuccubously oriented, the insertion succubous, bilobed to 0.2–0.35, often asymmetrically so (the dorsal lobe somewhat larger); lobes ± parallel and not divergent, medium acute, usually tapering to 1 or more biseriate tiers and then a single, subisodiametric cell that tapers to the summit, the lobe apex exceptionally narrowly rounded. Cells with walls thin, with trigones present, small to medium and straight-sided, the median cells subisodiametric, 16–23 µm wide and long; surface distinctly striate-papillose. Underleaves present, reduced and inconspicuous, free but closely juxtaposed to leaf base or connate, few- to several-celled, consisting of a tier of 2–3 cells wide and a uniseriate row of 2–4(6) isodiametric to somewhat elongate cells, at times ± ciliiform. Asexual reproduction rare, by spherical, bright red gemmae.
Dioecious. Androecia frequently produced, terminal but becoming intercalary on leading shoots (often repeatedly so), only slightly narrower than sterile sectors of shoot; bracts deeply concave, especially below, the apex shallowly bilobed; dorsal margin somewhat dilated, inflexed, with a distinct, tapering accessory lobule that tapers to the summit; antheridia 1 per bract, the stalk to ca. 24 cells long, biseriate. Gynoecia with innermost series of bracts much larger than leaves, bilobed to ca. 0.7–0.8, the lobes subsymmetric or the dorsal a little larger, the lobes narrowly attenuate to subacuminate, the margins entire or with a few teeth or laciniae, the lamina margins each with 1 lacinia or lobule and, at times, also with a small tooth toward the base; bracteole free from and smaller than bracts, unlobed and with a laciniiform-lobuliform process on each side or similar in shape and form to bracts. Perianth large for plant size, reddish, subfusiform, plicate nearly to base, markedly and sharply contracted at the mouth, the mouth lobulate, the lobules with hyaline, often contorted cilia, the cilia terminating in a uniseriate row of to 11, firm-walled cells, the tip cell rather elongate and tapering to the summit, the cilia with a few sharp teeth below the uniseriate sector.
Sporophyte not seen.
Distribution and Ecology : Endemic to New Zealand: North Island. Known only from the type, which was corticolous and associated with Chandonanthus squarrosus, Drepanolejeunea aucklandica, Plagiochila circinalis and Frullania sp.
Comments : This is our only confirmed dioecious species. (Lophozia herzogiana may also be dioecious, but only gynoecia are known for that species.) Also, this is not only our only epiphytic species, but it is among the smallest, the shoots are minute, with sterile shoots to only 110 µm wide. Perianths are distinctive, with plicae extending from the perianth summit nearly to the base (Fig. 143: 2), and the mouth is fringed with hyaline cilia that terminate in a uniseriate row of up to 11 cells (Fig. 143: 19–21).
