Lophozia subalpina (R.M.Schust.) R.M.Schust.
Lophozia autoica var. subalpina R.M.Schust., Nova Hedwigia 15: 482. 1968.
Lophozia subalpina (R.M.Schust.) R.M.Schust., Beih. Nova Hedwigia 119: 263. 2002.
Type: New Zealand, South Is., Fiordland, Humboldt Mtns., track from Lake MacKenzie to Harris Saddle, ca. 3800 ft., Schuster 67-3888a.
Plants light green, distal parts of leaves and bracts often ± brownish to purplish brown. Branching sparse, the branches ventral- and lateral-intercalary. Leaves subvertical, rather widely spreading, concave, with incurved (but never squarrose) lobes, usually all 2-lobed to 0.3–0.35, rarely 3-lobed, oblong-falcate, often to 1.6–1.8× as long as wide, ca. (390)400–425(450) µm wide × 635–735(775) µm long; lobes sharply acute (at times long-acute), terminating in a single or (sporadically) a uniseriate row of 2 cells, the tip cell of the lobes ± isodiametric or at most a little elongated, the lobes rather frequently terminating in 2 laterally juxtaposed cells; lamina with dorsal margin straight to weakly incurved, the ventral evenly, moderately arched, the margins ± parallel. Cells in median sector of leaf with well-developed but usually not perceptibly bulging trigones, the cells in lobe apices strongly collenchymatous with bulging, usually confluent trigones, the median cells 16–24 µm wide × 24–36 µm long to 22–30 µm wide × 26–43 µm long, usually conspicuously oblong and with the lumina rounded; surface distinctly striate-papillose. Oil-bodies colorless (Schuster, 1968b), (5)9–15(24) per cell, faintly granular-botryoidal, spherical and 3–4.5 µm in diam. or ellipsoidal and 5 × 7(11) µm. Underleaves reduced and inconspicuous, polymorphous, often of only a few cells, at times consisting of a base of 2 cells wide + 2 lobes each of a uniseriate row of 2 cells capped by a slime papilla. Asexual reproduction by gemmae, the gemmae sporadic, pale green, rarely faintly reddish, stellate to quadrate, 17 × 17 µm in diam. to 20–22 × 21–24 µm, 1–2 celled.
Paroecious and autoecious. Androecia intercalary, bracts in 3–5 pairs, laxly imbricate, leaf-like except moderately ventricose at base, with a strong tooth at the dorsal base; antheridia 1 per bract, the stalk uniseriate. Gynoecial bracts erect and sheathing the perianth, those of innermost series often dimorphic: one bilobed to 0.35–0.4, the other 3–4-lobed to 0.25–0.4, the lobes acuminate to ± cuspidate, terminating in a single cell or a uniseriate row of 2 cells, the tip cell ca. 2:1, sharp at the summit, the lobe margins entire, rarely with a tooth; lamina margins repand, entire or with a large tooth on the dorsal margin; bracteole free, 3-lobed to ca. 0.24, the lobes narrowly acuminate, terminating in a uniseriate row of 2–3 cells, the tip cell ca. 3:1, sharp at the summit. Perianth cylindrical, contracted toward the plicate mouth, the mouth shallowly lobulate, the lobules distally with elongated cells, ca. 14–16 × 40–50 µm isolated cells to 15 × 82 µm, projecting to form crenulations, locally the terminal cells free and thus locally setulose-ciliolate.
Sporophyte not seen.
Distribution and Ecology : Endemic to New Zealand: South Island (1160–1435 m).
Known from only a few collections. Occurring in a mosaic of scrub and grassy areas near Temple Basin Skifield (Arthur’s Pass). Also over soil in the alpine zone at 1280–1330 m along Stocking Stream (Mt. Cook Natl. Park). The type occurred over peaty soil, on boggy ground in the penalpine zone among Chionochloa.
Comments : This species differs from the related Lophozia autoica by the larger, more conspicuous trigones, the narrower leaves that are oblong and often 1.6–1.8× as long as wide, the less strongly incurved leaf lobes, and the fewer oil-body number per cell (5–8)9–15(18–24) vs. the ± small leaf cell trigones, the broader leaves that are ovate to suboblate and usually 1.2–1.4× as long as wide, the often strongly squarrose lobes, and the larger oil-body number per cell (20–45) in L. autoica. Engel 6458A from Temple Basin has both paroecious and autoecious plants.
Schuster (2002a, fig. 309, p. 267) illustrated plants based on Schuster 67-455; that collection was cited in Schuster (1968b) as a paratype (Mt. Brewster, Westland, 1435 m). Several characters deviate from the concept of the species sensu the protologue, e.g., leaf shape, bract lobe number. Also, Schuster (1968b, p. 483) was unable to establish the sexuality of the type of Lophozia autoica var. subalpina, but stated that Schuster 67-455 contained both autoecious and heteroecious plants. We have not included characters derived from the paratype in the species description here, especially since Schuster (2002a, p. 266) remarked “it is possible that RMS 67-455 represents an extreme of L. nivicola.”
