Solenostoma inundatum (Hook.f. & Taylor) Mitt. ex Steph.
Jungermannia inundata Hook.f. & Taylor, London J. Bot. 3: 559. 1844.
Nardia inundata (Hook.f. & Taylor) Steph., J. Linn. Soc. Bot. 29: 274. 1892.
Solenostoma inundatum (Hook.f. & Taylor) Mitt. ex Steph., Sp. Hepat. 2: 52. 1901 (“inundata”).
Type: New Zealand, (North Is., Bay of Islands, cf. Váňa, 1975, p. 300), Hooker, ex herb. Kew (G!).
Jungermannia paucifolia Colenso, Trans. & Proc. New Zealand Inst. 18: 237. 1886.
Type: New Zealand, 1885, Colenso.
Jungermannia humilissima Colenso, Trans. & Proc. New Zealand Inst. 18: 236. 1886.
Type: New Zealand, Waipawa Co., Mangatawhaiiti River, 1885, Colenso.
Jungermannia polycarpa Colenso, Trans. New Zealand Inst. 19: 280. 1887.
Type: New Zealand, Waipawa Co., near Norsewood, 1885–86, Colenso.
Nardia patellata Berggr., New Zealand Hepat. 1: 6. f. 5. 1898.
Solenostoma patellata (Berggr.) Steph., Sp. Hepat. 2: 60. 1901. Lectotype (fide Váňa, 1975): New Zealand, South Is., Prov. Otago, near Invercargill, June 1874, Berggren 2878 (LD, non vidi); isolectotype: (G!).
Solenostoma brevissima Pearson, Univ. Calif. Publ. Bot. 10: 313. tab. 88. 1923.
Type: New Zealand, North Is., Rotorua, Whakarewarewa, 1904, Setchell No. 155.
Aplozia victoriensis Bibby, Rev. Bryol. Lichénol. 23: 132. f. 1. 1954.
Jungermannia victoriensis (Bibby) E.A.Hodgs., J. Roy. Soc. New Zealand 2: 112. 1972.
Type: Australia, Victoria, between Mt. Ben Cairn and Mt. Donna Buang, 1400 m, 1953, Ashton.
[Fig. 152: 1, 2, oil-bodies, p. 698]
Plants typically ascending, rarely prostrate, rather lax, in compact, thin tufts, pale green, yellow-green to brownish, or tinged with deep red to purplish red, to 1.5 mm wide. Branching ± frequent, lateral-intercalary. Stems greenish, yellow- to brownish green, or purplish red, the cortex in 1–2 layers; medullary cells larger, thin-walled. Rhizoids sparingly produced, colorless to somewhat yellowish, from the ventral side of the stem, dispersed, never in bundles. Leaves erect-appressed to obliquely spreading, imbricate to ± distant, the insertion almost transverse, the leaves plane or ± concave, elliptic to broadly ovate to orbicular, 840–910 µm wide × 700–720 µm long, the apex broadly rounded to weakly emarginate, the margins weakly recurved, the dorsal and ventral margins only weakly decurrent. Cells with small to medium straight-sided trigones, the cells almost isodiametric, firm, those of distal portion of leaf (18)20–22 µm wide × 24–27 µm long, the cells at the margins smaller, 18–24 µm wide; cells of basal 0.3 of leaf larger, to 38 µm wide × 45 µm long; surface finely striolate or almost smooth. Oil-bodies hyaline, 4–7(8) per cell, finely granular, the spherules not protruding beyond outer membrane, the oil-bodies rather narrowly to broadly elliptic to fusiform, sporadically spherical, variable in size, most larger and 5.9–7.8 × 10.7–15.6 µm, a few smaller and 2.9–3.9 × 4.9–6.8 µm, spherical ones 3.9 µm in diam. Underleaves absent. Asexual reproduction absent.
Dioecious. Androecia terminal, becoming intercalary, with 4–5 pairs of rather distant, transversely inserted bracts, the bract margins broadly recurved; antheridia 1–2, the stalk biseriate. Gynoecia terminal, often with one or more lateral-intercalary innovations; bracts of innermost series somewhat larger than the stem leaves, broadly oval to suboblate, almost transversely inserted, weakly united to the perianth base. Perianth long-exserted, rather large for plant size, exceeding the bracts, green or at times reddish tinged or purplish red, cylindrical to narrowly obovate, when dry terete in basal 0.5, then narrowed to a wrinkled to deeply furrowed, ± twisted neck, when moist cylindrical to obovate and abruptly contracted to the mouth, with an inconspicuous beak, the perianth mouth crenulate by projecting, ± isodiametric cells, the cells at times appearing transversely divided, with evenly thickened walls; cells of the perianth proper ± isodiametric, similar to those of the leaves.
Seta in cross section with an outer layer of 21 cells surrounding an inner core of 15 cells. Capsule reddish brown, almost globose, the wall 2-stratose, 34–36 µm thick, the outer layer about 2× the thickness of the inner layer; outer layer of cells short-quadrate, thin-walled, with prominent short peg-like thickenings of the longitudinal walls, the transverse walls sporadically with peg-like thickenings; inner layer of elongated cells with longitudinal walls with thin, sheet-like, pigmented thickenings and regular, very narrow, complete scalariform thickenings.
Spores reddish brown, 12–18 µm in diam., papillose, the papillae mostly distinct or united into short ridges. Elaters 7.2–12 µm wide, bispiral, the ends tapering and sinuous, the tip portion 2.9–4.3 µm wide, the spirals 3.1–3.9 µm wide, not extending into the elater tips.
Distribution and Ecology : New Zealand: Campbell Island (50–180 m), Antipodes Islands (220 m), Stewart Island (0–300 m), South Island (0–1200 m), North Island (100–1310 m), Chatham Islands (80–240 m); Australia: Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales. In New Zealand known from Fiordland, Southland, Otago, Canterbury, Westland, Western Nelson, Sounds–Nelson, Marlborough, Southern North Island, Taranaki, Volcanic Plateau, Gisborne, Auckland and Northland EPs.
A species that appears to occur under drier conditions than Solenostoma orbiculatum. The species is not a component of the stream-course bryoflora, while S. orbiculatum is common there. Also, it is more frequent than S. orbiculatum at upper elevations and occurs more often in the alpine zone, whereas S. orbiculatum is only exceptionally alpine. In the forest zone S. inundatum occurs on partly shaded, clayey, ± vertical, often bryophyte-covered banks within forests or at roadsides, and may be abundant under these conditions. It is found on such banks with Achrophyllum quadrifidum, Breutelia elongata, Bryum blandum, Dicranella gracillima, Isotachis montana, Phaeoceros carolineanus, Pohlia wahlenbergii, Polytrichadelphus magellanicus, Telaranea tetrapila and Triandrophyllum subtrifidum. At Mt. Arthur Hut Track (Kahurangi Natl. Park, 1050 m) on a vertical clay bank of a large sinkhole, ca. 3–4 m in diam. and ca. 2 m deep in a Nothofagus menziesii forest. In the alpine zone it was found in small boggy areas fed by small flushes, and here at the gravelly margin of a flush and among cushion plants within the flush (Symes Road, Old Man Ra., Otago, 1040–1570 m). Also over soil at the side of a rill in a mosaic of alpine tussock grass, rills and small rocky outcrops (Otira Valley Track, Arthur’s Pass Natl. Park, 1210–1310 m).
Comments : Solenostoma inundatum has a characteristic aspect. The plants are typically erect, lax and soft-textured, and grow in compact tufts, often partially buried in the substrate. The color is usually a pale yellowish green to brownish green, or tinged with purplish red, and the leaf surface finely striolate to almost smooth. Both the perianth and subtending bracts appear disproportionately large for the plant size. The perianth is narrowly cylindrical in outline, and when dry is shaped like a Greek amphora: terete in the basal portion, then contracted to a deeply furrowed, ± twisted neck, and lacking a distinct beak.
Solenostoma orbiculatum (p. 703), when growing erect in dense tufts, may be confused with S. inundatum, but is usually a somewhat larger plant, with more obliquely inserted leaves and larger, laxer leaf cells; in S. orbiculatum the perianth is ± inflated, ellipsoid in outline and abruptly contracted to a distinct beak.
