Lepidozia elobata R.M.Schust.
Lepidozia elobata R.M.Schust. in J.J.Engel & R.M.Schust., Fieldiana, Bot. N.S. 42: 74. f. 28. 2001.
Holotype: New Zealand, North Is., Auckland Harbor, Rangitoto Is., summit area, at tree base, Schuster 95-401 (F).
Plants creeping, light green, whitish when dry, only feebly nitid when dry, small, the main shoots with leaves ca. 430–640 to 700 µm wide; shoot apices and branch apices decurved, especially in drying. Branches almost exclusively of Frullania type, 1-pinnate, rather irregularly and remotely so, the branches usually of limited length, but sporadic branches elongating and becoming flagelliform; branch leaves normally similar to stem leaves, quadrilobed like them; first branch underleaf inserted in line with succeeding branch underleaves, consistently unlobed, ovate lanceolate to narrowly ovate, ending in a single cell, usually standing stiffly away from stem. Ventral-intercalary branches sporadic, flagelliform. Stems with hyaloderm well developed, the cortical cells rather thin-walled. Leaves adaxially concave, the dorsal lobes decurved/deflexed, the ventral-most lobe usually strongly incurved; leaves of leading stems variable, typically quadrilobed for ca. 0.2–0.25(0.3) dorsally to 0.4–0.45 ventrally, the dorsal lobes usually somewhat smaller than the ventral, the lobes acute but never long-acute, ending in 1 or 2 superposed cells that are not or weakly elongated; some to many leaves almost symmetrically quadrifid, the lobes then subequal but the two outer lobes usually somewhat smaller; leaf at dorsal base at most weakly cordate. Cells in lobes subquadrate, ca. 11–14 × 13–16 µm, in leaf middle scarcely larger; cells of leaf base much larger, rather inflated, 21–30 µm wide × 27–50 µm long, forming a small basal field; surface weakly papillose above, weakly striolate basally. Underleaves inserted on ca. 5 rows of stem cells, standing stiffly away from stem or subsquarrose, under 0.45 quadrifid, the lobes usually 2 cells broad basally. No asexual reproduction. Otherwise unknown.
Distribution and Ecology : Endemic to New Zealand: North Island (150–380 m). Known from Southern North Island (Tararua Ra., Ruahine Ra.) and Auckland (Rangitoto Island) EPs. The Southern North Island collections were both from the vertical sides of boulders 1–2 m above streams.
Comments : Lepidozia elobata is part of a complex of small species that includes L. pumila, L. acantha, L. novae-zelandiae and L. bidens. It can be separated from all taxa of that complex, except L. acantha, by the consistently unlobed first branch underleaves. It is also similar to L. acantha in having leaves that do not consistently show a clear division between a pair of dorsal lobes, set off from the ventral lobes. At times the leaf tends to be almost equally quadrifid, although like all Lepidozia species, the disc is lower ventrally than dorsally.
Lepidozia elobata is distinct from L. acantha in the relatively broad-based, ovate-lanceolate first branch underleaf; the shorter and broader leaf bases, not long-tapered as in L. acantha; the subisodiametric cells of leaf lobe apices; the obscurely papillose surface; and the relatively high disc, about as high or higher than the length of the leaf lobes. Also, in L. acantha branch leaves are typically trifid; in L. elobata they are almost uniformly quadrifid, like main axis leaves.
