Flora of New Zealand Series

Jungermannia patentissima Hook.f. & Taylor, London J. Bot. 3: 386. 1844, (3: 286 [sic] in errore pro 386).

Lepidozia patentissima (Hook.f. & Taylor) Gottsche, Lindenb. & Nees, Syn. Hepat. 204. 1845.

Mastigophora patentissima (Hook.f. & Taylor) Trevis., Mem. Reale Ist. Lombardo Sci. Lett. III, 4: 416. 1877.

Telaranea patentissima (Hook.f. & Taylor) E.A.Hodgs., Rec. Domin. Mus. 4: 107. 1962. 

Type: Auckland Is., Hooker (BM! [4 seen], FH!).

[Figs. 59, 60]

Plants soft, often spinescent, flexuous yet firm, prostrate, in loose to compact mats, pale green to yellowish green, nitid when dry; plants rather stenotypic in stature, small, to 0.8 cm wide, including branches. Branching irregularly to somewhat regularly 1-pinnate, never 2-pinnate, the branches of the Frullania type; branch half-leaf bifid, narrowly rectangular, the lobes parallel to weakly diverging; first branch underleaf undivided and ciliiform to subulate, inserted on ventral side of branch at juncture of branch and main axis. Ventral-intercalary branches occasional to common, leafy, often becoming leading shoots. Stems with cortical cells distinctly differentiated, thin-walled, in 11–12 rows, the outer walls somewhat thicker; cortical cells in section larger than the numerous (ca. 25–45) medullary cells. Rhizoids from distal cells of underleaf disc. Leaves on main shoot rigid, obliquely spreading, distant (especially in small phases) to imbricate, plane to moderately convex, noticeably narrowing to the base, the insertion typically distinctly incubous; leaves 335–545 µm wide × 345–580 µm long, subsymmetric to moderately asymmetric, 4(6)-lobed to 0.4–0.5, the lobes about equal to or shorter than the disc. Lobes narrowly acute to attenuate, 2–4(5) cells wide at extreme base, the two median lobes typically somewhat larger (and at times 3–4 cells wide in basal sector), often biseriate for 1–2(3) tiers, terminating in a uniseriate row of 2–4(5) cells, typically less than half the length of lobe (except var. zebrina); lobe cells short, ± isodiametric to short-rectangular, thin- to moderately thick-walled, the septa somewhat thickened in the corners but not swollen and projecting; surface smooth to finely striate-papillose (at least the distal half of lobes). Disc symmetrically to somewhat irregularly cuneate, 4–5 cells high from median sinus base to leaf base (up to 6[7] cells high in var. ampliata), 10–15 cells wide in distal portion (8 cells wide in smaller leaves) narrowing to (5)8(12) cells wide in basal portion; cells of disc and lobe margins often bulging. Cells of disc thin- to moderately and evenly thick-walled and firm, with small but distinct trigones, the cells in median sector of disc subquadrate to somewhat elongate, 25–42 µm wide × 38–55 µm long; surface smooth (coarsely striolate-papillose in var. zebrina). Underleaves somewhat to much smaller than leaves, variable in size, ca. 1–1.5× stem width, strongly spreading, distant to less often contiguous, plane, (3)4-lobed to 0.35–0.45, the lobes biseriate at base (except var. zebrina), with a uniseriate row of 2–4 rather short cells, terminating in a slime papilla; disc symmetrically subquadrate to weakly cuneate, 3–4 cells high (median sinus), (8)10–14 cells wide in distal portion narrowing to 8 cells wide at base (8 cells wide throughout in var. zebrina). Asexual reproduction lacking.

Plants dioecious. Androecia mostly on short, abbreviated, ventral-intercalary, spicate branches from main shoot or, occasionally, from primary, flagelliform Frullania -type branches; bracts closely imbricate, dorsally assurgent, deeply concave, bilobed to ca. 0.35, the lobes short-acuminate, terminating in a uniseriate row of 2(3) cells, the basal cell slightly longer than wide, the terminal cell to ca. 2:1; dorsal margin of lamina somewhat dilated, crenulate, with a few slime papillae; bracts monandrous; antheridial stalk uniseriate; bracteolar antheridia absent. Gynoecia with bracts small for perianth size, those of innermost series concave, oblong to suborbicular, very shallowly and irregularly 3–4-lobulate, the lobules terminating in single curved cell or several sinuous, laterally juxtaposed cells, sometimes irregularly denticulate; lamina composed of ± regularly subrectangular cells, the margin bordered by narrower elongated cells, the apical or free end of marginal cells often divergent and forming a blunt tooth, especially distally, the margins otherwise with a sporadic unicellular tooth and a few slime papillae; bracteoles smaller but similar in form to bracts. Perianth long-emergent, fusiform, terete in basal and median sectors, the distal sector obscurely trigonous and with 3 plicae, the perianth narrowing toward the contracted mouth; mouth cells thick-walled, often sinuate, partially or wholly laterally free, occasionally with a laterally free uniseriate row of 2 cells, the mouth thus indistinctly denticulate-subfimbriate; perianth 2- to locally 3-stratose in basal portion.

Seta with 8 rows of outer cells surrounding an inner core of 21–24 much smaller cells. Capsule rather short-ellipsoidal, 525 µm wide, 1070 µm long, the wall 41–46 µm thick, of 4 layers, the outer layer equivalent to 1.5–1.8× thickness of any one of the interior layers; outer layer of cells rather regularly short-rectangular, with two-phase development, the longitudinal walls with well-defined sheet-like thickenings and nodule-like thickenings (4–6 per cell) alternating with walls that are devoid of thickenings (or with sporadic, pigmented or non-pigmented, nodular swellings), the transverse walls often with thickenings; innermost layer of cells ± tiered, irregularly narrowly to broadly rectangular, with semiannular bands common, rather wide, close, usually complete, rarely forked and anastomosing to delimit ill-defined, local fenestrae.

Spores 12–13.9(15.4) µm in diam., the wall pale brown, with low but sharply defined, close papillae and short-vermiculate markings that at times coalesce. Elaters rigid, nontortuous, 8.6–10.6 µm wide, only slightly tapering toward tips, bispiral to tips, the spirals 2.4–3.8 µm wide.

Distribution and Ecology : New Zealand: Auckland Islands, Campbell Island, Stewart Island (0–200 m), South Island ([60]215–1900 m), North Island ([95]280–1350 m); Australia: Tasmania, New South Wales. In New Zealand known from Fiordland, Southland, Otago, Westland, Canterbury (near Main Divide), Western Nelson, Southern North Island (Tararua Ra.), Volcanic Plateau, Auckland and Northland EPs.

A rather common species throughout New Zealand and occurs in middle- to upper-elevation forests (typically above 400 m) to the penalpine–alpine zone. In the forest zone (often Nothofagus) it often occurs on very rotted logs, typically on the side or lower half of prostrate, bryophyte-covered logs, or in moist, sheltered niches such as cliff faces and soil of boulders of stream edges, etc. In the penalpine and alpine zones it occurs under snow tussock cover or over soil in protected niches of cliffs, etc. In Fiordland (Milford Sound) it was found at sea level with Treubia lacunosa, Verdoornia succulenta and Geocalyx caledonicus. It also, though rarely, occurs at lower elevations in pakihi (under Gleichenia).

Comments : Telaranea patentissima is a relatively common plant in New Zealand, but its variability may cause difficulties in determination. At times the species can resemble a smaller T. tetrapila. The leaf disc is ± regularly cuneate, with the disc cells arranged in regular rows and tiers (Fig. 59: 4). Another feature shared with T. tetrapila and its varieties is the occasional occurrence of secondary cell divisions at the tips of the lobes (Fig. 59: 3). However, the smaller plant size, the relatively small cells (40 µm in width or less), and the firm, rather evenly thickened cell walls, with small, but distinct trigones ally this species with sect. Neolepidozia.

For comments on nomenclature see Engel and Merrill (2004).

The species may be divided into three varieties as follows.