Cephaloziella hispidissima R.M.Schust.
Cephaloziella hispidissima R.M.Schust., Nova Hedwigia 22: 208. pl. 23. 1972 (1971).
Holotype: Argentina, Tierra del Fuego, Cerro Garibaldi, SE of Lago Escondido, near Rte. 3 between Ushuaia and Río Grande, ca. 950 m, Schuster 58304.
Plants rather rigid and wiry, brittle, creeping to ascending, grey- to olive-green, devoid of wall pigmentation, dull, vigorous, to 640 µm wide with leaves. Branching irregular, the branches strictly ventral-intercalary. Stems (except on weak axes) hispid with sharp, 1–2(3)-celled processes, each with a sharp terminal cell with ± thickened apex, the cortical cells ± non-chlorophyllous, undifferentiated; medullary cells strongly chlorophyllous. Rhizoids scattered, rare. Leaves obliquely to widely spreading, subcontiguous to contiguous, the insertion transverse, extending to stem midline dorsally, mostly loosely conduplicate, with widely spreading keel, often gibbous, 180–230 µm wide × 165–210 µm long, bifid to 0.65–0.75; lobes widely spreading, ± adaxially convex (then weakly canaliculate), ovate to ovate-triangular, 10–12 to 16–18(20) cells broad at base, the tips mostly acute to apiculate, often terminating in a single cell or 2 ± elongated cells, the lobe margins (except on weak plants) usually denticulate varying to sharply few-dentate; disc often with 1–several sharp basal teeth. Abaxial face of leaf usually armed with projecting cells or hispid with cellular processes. Cells at lobe bases weakly thick-walled with angular lumina to thick-walled with guttulate lumina at least in upper parts of lobes, 9–12 µm wide × 11–15(18) µm long. Underleaves large, as broad or broader than the stem, mostly ovate or ovate-lanceolate or oblong, varying to bifid and almost leaf-like, serrulate to irregularly dentate distally, bluntly or sharply pointed, the bases or flanks often with teeth and/or a lacinium on each side. Gemmae at times lacking, when present ovate, smooth, 2-celled, formed on lobe margins of some apical leaves.
Autoecious. Androecia ventral- and ?lateral-intercalary in origin, spicate; bracts leaf-like, more concave basally and not folded. Gynoecia terminating main axes; bracts leaf-like, the lobes 9–12 cells broad, usually more drawn out and acuminate than those of leaves, remotely spinose-dentate with sharp, usually 1-celled teeth, often terminating in a uniseriate row of 2 elongated cells. Perianth 4–5-plicate, the mouth rather wide, crenulate-setulose.
Sporophyte unknown.
Distribution and Ecology : New Zealand: South Island (ca. 1615 m). Amphi-Pacific in world distribution: also known from southern South America (type) and Antarctica (South Orkney and South Shetland islands).
In New Zealand Schuster (1972a) recorded the species from ca. 1615 m in the Old Man Ra. (South Island, Otago), over damp, peaty soil between mosses along a small rill and admixed with Cephalozia ?australis.
Comments : A distinctive species in several respects, especially in development of armature. Leaf and underleaf margins are denticulate or dentate, at least in the basal half, and the ♀ bract lobes are sharply toothed. The abaxial face of the leaf below the lobes is armed with cellular processes and the stems are armed with sharp, 1–3-celled processes. Plants are grey-green and secondary pigments are not developed. Also, the stem cortical cells are non-chlorophyllous or nearly so, while the medullary cells are strongly chlorophyllous. Underleaves are present throughout and conspicuous.
