Lophozia multicuspidata (Hook.f. & Taylor) Grolle
Jungermannia multicuspidata Hook.f. & Taylor, London J. Bot. 3: 375. 1844.
Cephalozia multicuspidata (Hook.f. & Taylor) Steph., Sp. Hepat. 3: 316. 1908.
Triandrophyllum multicuspidatum (Hook.f. & Taylor) E.A.Hodgs., Rec. Domin. Mus. 4: 103. 1962.
Lophozia multicuspidata (Hook.f. & Taylor) Grolle, Rev. Bryol. Lichénol. 31: 155. 1962.
Type: Campbell Is., Hooker.
Plants procumbent, whitish pale green, rusty red in sun forms, medium, to 1260 µm wide. Branching infrequent, the branches lateral-intercalary, from near ventral sector of leaf axils, the branches often stoloniform. Stems soft-textured, the cortex hardly defined, in 1–2 layers, the cells somewhat smaller than the medullary cells; medulla with cells undifferentiated, homogeneous, lacking mycorrhizae. Rhizoids many, scattered on ventral face of stem. Leaves somewhat dorsally assurgent, widely spreading, distant to contiguous, the insertion strongly succubous, the leaves at times narrow, ovate to short-elliptic to oblong to oblong-obcuneate, the ventral margin more strongly arched than the dorsal, the leaves 2–3(4)-lobed to 0.4, the lobe number polymorphous; lobes subdivergent, acuminate, sharp, terminating in a single cell or a uniseriate row of 2 cells, the tip cell distinctly longer than wide (to 3:1); sinuses sharply V-shaped, occasionally broadly rounded. Cells thin- to firm-walled, with trigones conspicuous or small and concave-sided, the median cells large, 24–36 µm wide × 34–45(48) µm long; surface smooth. Underleaves present, very inconspicuous, ca. 0.3× stem width, short and lamella-like or more often long-lanceolate, (2)4–5 cells wide at base and tapering to a single elongated cell or more often a uniseriate row of to 6 typically elongated cells, the margins entire or with a tooth near the summit. Asexual reproduction absent.
Autoecious or paroecious, the androecia on leading shoots and with ♀ on rather short branches or the androecia on branches originating below gynoecia. Androecia at times purplish, terminal but becoming intercalary, the bracts strongly asymmetrically bilobed, the ventral lobe acute, often apiculate, tapering to a sharp tip, the dorsal lobe inflated-ventricose toward the base and with the margin incurved to form a pouch, the lobe acute distally and tapering to a sharp tip, the saccate portion crenulate in profile by way of inflated cells; antheridia 1 per bract, the stalk 2-seriate above, uniseriate below; paraphyses lacking. Gynoecial bracts 3– 4-lobed, concave toward the base, but the lobes often recurved distally, the lobes acuminate to cuspidate, with margins often recurved (the lobes then adaxially sulcate), entire or with 2 small, opposing teeth, the lobes terminating in a single rather elongated cell or uniseriate row of to 4(7) elongated cells, the tip cell rather sharp; bracteole large and conspicuous but smaller than bracts, free or connate on one side, 2-lobed, or if 4-lobed then the median pair much larger, the lobes as for bracts. Perianth fusiform-ellipsoidal, plicate distally, gradually contracted in distal 0.5–0.25, the mouth crenulate-dentate by thick-walled cells that are free for varying distances, a few nearly entirely free to their bases, the cells rather elongated, tapering to a rather sharp, thick-walled summit; perianth 3–4-stratose toward base, unistratose distally; cells below the perianth mouth thin- to somewhat firm-walled and with distinct trigones with their sides straight to slightly bulging.
Sporophyte not seen.
Distribution and Ecology : Endemic to New Zealand: Campbell Island, South Island (700–920 m).
A collection from Red Hills (Mt. Richmond Forest Park, Marlborough, ca. 700–920 m, Engel 21430) occurred on the floor of a bryophyte-covered slope.
Comments : This species may be recognized by the combination of several characters: the sharp leaf lobe apices, with the tip cell distinctly longer than wide (to 3:1) and tapering to a sharp summit; the large leaf cells, with median cells 24–36 µm wide × 34–45(48) µm long; the smooth leaf surface; the strictly lateral-intercalary branches from the ventral extreme of the leaf axil; the soft-textured stem, with an ill-defined stem cortex; and the autoecious inflorescences, with androecial branches originating below the gynoecia.
Underleaves are noted as absent by Hooker and Taylor (1844a), Grolle (1962b) and Schuster (1968b). However, the Red Hills specimen (Engel 21430) has distinct underleaves, but they are very inconspicuous, buried among the rhizoids, and may be easily overlooked. The underleaves are mostly long-lanceolate, (2)4–5 cells wide at base and taper to the summit a single cell or, more often, a uniseriate row of to 6 typically elongated cells (Fig. 142: 10–13). This population has small trigones similar to those illustrated by Schuster (2002a, fig. 303: 12, p. 254).
