Lepidozia ulothrix (Schwägr.) Lindenb.
Jungermannia ulothrix Schwägr., Hist. Musc. Hepat. Prodr. 21. 1814.
Lepidozia ulothrix (Schwägr.) Lindenb. in Gottsche, Lindenb. & Nees, Syn. Hepat. 210. 1845.
Mastigophora ulothrix (Schwägr.) Trevis., Mem. Reale Ist. Lombardo Sci. Lett. III, 4: 416. 1877.
Type: “N. Hollandia,” without specific locality, “Herb. Ldbg.,” sin. coll. (G!).
Jungermannia albula Hook.f. & Taylor, London J. Bot. 3: 387. 1844, syn. fide Engel and Schuster (2001).
Lepidozia albula (Hook.f. & Taylor) Gottsche, Lindenb. & Nees, Syn. Hepat. 211. 1845.
Mastigophora albula (Hook.f. & Taylor) Trevis., Mem. Reale Ist. Lombardo Sci. Lett. III, 4: 416. 1877.
Type: Auckland Is., “on Gottschea lehmanniana,” Nov. 1840, Hooker (FH!).
[Fig. 46; Fig. 50: 3, 4, oil-bodies, p. 268]
Plants rather delicate, flexuous, with weakly ventrally secund branches, pale olive-green to whitish green, the shoots medium-sized, to 2 cm wide, including branches. Branching exclusively of Frullania type, distantly markedly and regularly pinnate, the primary branches short, somewhat curved or hooked at the tip, occasionally becoming flagelliform but not extensively so; secondary branches only sporadically present; branch half-leaf asymmetric to ± symmetric, ovate, 2-lobed, regularly ciliate nearly to the base; first branch underleaf (2)3–4-lobed, inserted on ventral-lateral side of branch and aligned with underleaves of branch. Ventral-intercalary branching lacking. Stems rather soft and flexuous, the cortical cells in 1 layer of weakly to clearly thick-walled cells that are slightly to conspicuously larger than medullary cells; medullary cells distinctly thick-walled. Leaves rigid, strongly concave, with incurved lobes lending the leaves a ± cup-like aspect, imbricate and nearly or completely hiding stem in dorsal view, 0.4–1.2 mm long at longest point, 0.7–2.2 mm wide at widest point, patent, the insertion distinctly incubous and slightly recurved at dorsal end; leaves distinctly asymmetric, unequally 4-lobed, the leaves divided to ca. 0.4–0.65 (median sinus), the distance from dorsal sinus base to insertion much greater than that from ventral sinus to insertion, the sinuses gradually becoming deeper ventrally. Lobes of differing shape, the dorsal pair of lobes caudate, the ventral lobe linear to attenuate, the lobes with 1 to (less often) several pairs of opposing spines (1[2], non-opposing spines per lobe in suboptimal plants), the dorsal lobes 7–10 to 13–15 cells wide at base, the ventral lobe 6–9 cells wide at base, the lobes terminating in a uniseriate row of 5–7 to 8–10(15) cells (the ventral typically the longest); cells of uniseriate row capillary, elongated (3–4:1), thick-walled and with the septa thickened and swollen. Disc distinctly asymmetric primarily due to strong dilation of dorsal sector, the dilated portion up to a third of the disc area, the disc 18–26 cells high at dorsal sinus, 6–13 cells high at ventral sinus; dorsal margin and the confluent margin of the dorsal lobe with 7–8 to 12–19 spinose teeth or cilia that terminate in a uniseriate row of 2–5(6) cells; ventral margin entire or sporadically with 1–2 well-developed spines or laciniae. Cells of disc-middle evenly thick-walled, elongate, 12–20 µm wide × 24–42 µm long; cells in the ampliate sector and median lobe cells shorter, 14–18 µm wide × (17)20–26 µm long; median basal cells enlarged and in a rather distinct field; surface smooth to finely striate-papillose. Oil-bodies occupying small portion of cell lumen, hyaline and glistening, 2–5(6) per cell, subglobose to elliptic to fusiform, coarsely papillose or finely botryoidal, the spherules soon coalescing and the oil-bodies soon very coarsely botryoidal, the oil-bodies mostly 4–6 µm in greater diam., fleeting; basal cells with (3)4–6 per cell, spherical and 3–5 µm in diam., or citron-shaped and 3 × 4.5 µm. Underleaves 1.5–2× stem width, spreading, symmetrically basically 4-fid to ca. 0.45–0.65 (median sinus), the sinus bases plane, the lobes distinctly broadly incurved, the lobe base ± parallel sided, 8–9 cells wide, the summit of median lobes truncate and ± regularly ciliiform and 2–3-fid, the distal sector setaceous, terminating in a uniseriate row of 5–8 to 8–13 cells; disc 10–13 cells high at median sinus, the disc margins on each side with 1–2 cilia.
Plants dioecious. Androecia on inconspicuous, short, determinate, tightly spicate, cernuous ventral-intercalary branches from main shoot and primary and secondary branches; bracts ventricose-cucullate, 2-lobed to ca. 0.4, the lobes acuminate, terminating in a uniseriate row of 2–4 elongated cells, the lobe margins with several spinose teeth; antheridial stalk biseriate. Gynoecia not seen.
Distribution and Ecology : New Zealand: Auckland Islands, Stewart Island, South Island ([330]600–1200 m), North Island (ca. 900 m); Australia: Tasmania, southeast Australia. In New Zealand known from Fiordland, Westland, Canterbury (Arthur’s Pass), Western Nelson and Southern North Island (Tararua Ra.) EPs.
Known from Stewart Island and scattered sites in the southern half of the South Island, plus a single North Island site. In the Haast River area (sea level) the species occurs in mucky niches at the sides of mounds in open swampy areas with Sphagnum and scattered Leptospermum scoparium and others. It is also present at a low-altitude site in the Cascade ultramafic moraine (Cascade Road, South Westland, ca. 35–135 m), an area characterized by ultramafic rocks and outcrops with rather open vegetation consisting mainly of Gleichenia, Lycopodium, Juncus, the lichen Cladonia and scattered Leptospermum scoparium; at this site the species is terricolous among Restionaceae. Also known at higher altitude from Bealey Glacier Track (Arthur’s Pass Natl. Park, 915 m), at the bottom of an earth hummock, forming loose wefts over duff in a Nothofagus solandri – Coprosma pseudocuneata – Dracophyllum longifolium – Phyllocladus alpinus forest on a flat river terrace. On the Auckland Islands, it is common in Metrosideros umbellata – Myrsine divaricata – Dracophyllum longifolium forest, but also in open sites of Chionochloa antarctica tussockland and Oreobolus pectinatus moorlands.
In upper montane forest and scrub of Dacrydium cupressinum, Nothofagus solandri, N. fusca, Metrosideros umbellata, Halocarpus biformis, Lepidothamnus intermedius, Archeria traversii and Olearia colensoi, where it may become locally common. Accompanying species are Acromastigum anisostomum, Anastrophyllum schismoides, Bazzania novae-zelandiae, Breutelia pendula, Dicranoloma robustum, Heteroscyphus billardierei, H. decipiens, Hymenophyllum multifidum, Jamesoniella colorata, Lepicolea attenuata, Lepidogyna hodgsoniae, Luzuriaga parviflora, Marsupidium surculosum, Megalembidium insulanum, Ptychomnion aciculare, Rhacocarpus purpurascens, Rhaphidorrhynchium amoenum, Riccardia cochleata, R. crassa, Saccogynidium australe, Schistochila balfouriana, Treubia lacunosa, T. pygmaea, Trichotemnoma corrugatum and Verdoornia succulenta.
Comments : Lepidozia ulothrix is a robust plant, with 1-pinnate branching, the branches distant, abbreviated and somewhat curved. The leaf armature of L. ulothrix is more copious than in L. hirta, with longer and more numerous spines and/or cilia on the dorsal margin and confluent margin of the dorsal lobe. The lobe margins are armed with several, often opposing spines, and the cells of the uniseriate row are more elongated.
