Flora of New Zealand Series

Sarcoscyphus sprucei Limpr., Jahresber. Schles. Ges. Vaterl. Cult. 179. 1881.

Marsupella sprucei (Limpr.) Bernet, Cat. Hép. Suisse 33. 1888.

Marsupella ustulata var. sprucei (Limpr.) R.M.Schust., Hepat. Anthocerotae N. Amer. 3: 30. 1974. 

Type: Germany, Fichtelgebirge, Funck.

[Fig. 177: 9–17]

Plants chocolate-brown to fuscous brown, erect in growth, (270)420–525 µm wide, often repeatedly fertile by frequent innovation from below the ♀ inflorescence, the innovations usually again fertile, the fertile plants often subcapitate in appearance (due to the small lower leaves becoming swiftly larger toward the inflorescence). Branching common in sterile, leafy sectors of shoots, the branches lateral-intercalary, from median, or less often ventral, sector of leaf axil, the plants rather sparingly stoloniferous. Leaves mostly obliquely spreading, only sporadically widely spreading, remote to contiguous below but toward the shoot apices becoming approximate to weakly imbricate, the insertion transverse in dorsal half, the leaf insertions crossing the stem midline dorsally, the leaves adaxially concave, broadly ovate to suboblate, widest a little below the middle, on sterile shoots 300–350 µm wide × 360–410 µm long, often somewhat cordate at the base, bilobed to 0.2–0.3, sometimes a little asymmetrically so, with one lobe slightly larger than the other, lobes acute to subacute, at times feebly apiculate, terminating in a single cell or a uniseriate row of 2 cells (in either case these tip cells as wide as long or wider than long); sinus acute. Cells with bulging trigones, the median lamina cells subisodiametric, 13–17 × 13–18(22) µm, the basal cells 18–20 µm wide × 20–22 µm long; surface ?smooth.

Paroecious. Androecial bracts in 2 pairs, much larger than leaves, erect, suboblate, moderately ventricose in median-basal sector, bifid to ca. 0.25, the lobes rather broadly acute; antheridia 2 per bract, the stalk to 13 cells long, biseriate. Gynoecial bracts erect, mutually involute, sheathing the abbreviated perianth, ± clasping at the base, bilobed to ca. 0.25, the lobes acute to often apiculate. Perianth delicate, low and inconspicuous, formed of variously rectangular cells, those near the mouth hyaline and colorless, the mouth crenulate by cells that are finger-like and free only near the distal end.

Capsule spherical, the wall 2-stratose, outer layer of cells subquadrate to short-rectangular, the radial longitudinal and transverse walls with sharply defined, strong, nodular to weakly spur-like thickenings; inner layer of cells much more irregular, often narrowly rectangular, the longitudinal walls with similar nodular to spur-like thickenings but somewhat smaller, the thickenings rarely extended on the tangential face as complete semiannular bands.

Spores pale brown, 13.4–14.9 µm in diam., the wall with low papillae and short-vermiculate markings; spore:elater diam. ratio 1.4–1.7:1. Elaters slightly tortuous, 8.6–9.6 µm wide, bispiral to tips, the spirals 3.4–4.3 µm wide.

Distribution and Ecology : Bipolar; in New Zealand: South Island (1160–1970 m). In the Southern Hemisphere also known from southern South America (Argentina, Tierra del Fuego, Cerro Garibaldi, 245–275 m). In New Zealand known from Fiordland (Gertrude Valley), Westland (Main Divide near Mt. Brewster; ridge to Mole Tops, Ella Ra.) and Otago (Old Man Ra.) EPs.

In the alpine zone on fully exposed soil among stones, e.g., on track to Gertrude Saddle (head of Gertrude Valley, Fiordland Natl. Park), or on an exposed ridge admixed with Solenostoma rufiflorum (below and W of Mt. Armstrong, SSW of Mt. Brewster, Mt. Aspiring Natl. Park). Also on an exposed ridge in penalpine scrub consisting mainly of Chionochloa, Dracophyllum and Hebe (e.g., below and W of Mt. Shrimpton, Mt. Aspiring Natl. Park). On the Old Man Ra. it occurred on damp soil above a snowbank. It has been found with Bartramia papillata, Chrysoblastella chilensis, Conostomum pusillum, Coprosma petriei, Ditrichum brevirostre, Grimmia pulvinata, Solenostoma totipapillosum and Weissia controversa. Schuster (1996d, p. 66) remarked the ecology of Marsupella sprucei “differs from that of M. sparsifolia : rather than occurring on soil along rivulets, or on rocks where kept moist by seepage, M. sprucei s. lat., in the Antipodes, the species occurs on soil, often [at] considerable distances from rock outcrops, and rarely in areas where apt to be submerged,” which matches the conditions that we have encountered our two Marsupella species in New Zealand. Schuster (1996d, p. 65) also commented that in the Southern Hemisphere, M. sprucei occurs in “moist montane, treeless zones—from sites not too dissimilar to those occupied by the species in the Northern Hemisphere.”

Comments : The above description is based solely on New Zealand plants. For comments see under Marsupella sparsifolia.