Lepidozia ornata J.J.Engel
Lepidozia ornata J.J.Engel in J.J.Engel & R.M.Schust., Fieldiana, Bot. N.S. 42: 49. f. 17. 2001.
Holotype: New Zealand, South Is., Westland Prov., Mt. Aspiring Natl. Park, below and W of Mt. Armstrong, SSW of Mt. Brewster, ca. 1250–1450 m, Engel 17789 (F); isotype: (CHR).
[Fig. 34: 5, oil-bodies, p. 220; Fig. 35]
Plants suberect, stiff and wiry, rather flexuous, with spreading to weakly ventrally secund branches, warm brownish, the shoots medium, to 2.4 cm wide, including branches. Branching nearly exclusively of Frullania type, rather short, the pattern variable: distantly and irregularly to regularly 1(2)-pinnate, the primary branches sometimes becoming whip-like, flagelliform and microphyllous; branch half-leaf subsymmetrical, cordate, 2-lobed to ca. 0.3, the base variously armed with teeth and accessory appendages; first branch underleaf 2–4-lobed, inserted on main axis or ventral-lateral side of juncture of main axis and branch and aligned with underleaves of branch. Ventral-intercalary branching not seen. Leaves rigid, brittle, concave, imbricate and completely obscuring stem in dorsal view or nearly so, 0.9–1.2 mm long at longest point, 1–1.6 mm wide at widest point, spreading, the insertion weakly to moderately incubous, recurved at dorsal end; ventral lobe often aligned with lateral underleaf lobes, ± decurrent on the stem or the lobe with a decurrent lobuliform flap. Leaves distinctly asymmetric, unequally 4(5)-lobed and variously appendaged, the leaves divided to ca. 0.5–0.85 (median sinus), the distance from dorsal sinus base to insertion much greater than that from the median and ventral sinuses to insertion. Lobes narrowly acute to attenuate to acuminate, the dorsal pair of lobes paired, the 2 ventral widely divergent from the united dorsal lobes (when flattened), the ventral 1 or 2 lobes often ventrally sulcate, subfalcate, sometimes with a tooth, the lobes terminating in several laterally juxtaposed cells, or a single cell or a uniseriate row of 2–3 cells, the cells of uniseriate row ± isodiametric, thick-walled; dorsal lobes entire, usually narrowing to a sharp apex, 8–14 cells wide at base; ventral and median sinuses reflexed, with accessory armature often present in the sinus base. Disc distinctly asymmetric, 20–25(31) cells high at dorsal sinus, 8–10 cells high at ventral sinus, the dorsal margin broadly ampliate, often distinctly auriculate at the base, sporadically with a tooth or spine near the base, the ventral margin subcordate to subauriculate, typically with accessory armature. Accessory lamellae sometimes present on the abaxial face of disc, descending from sinus bases. Flattened paraphyllia-like, irregularly dentate appendages often present on base of disc. Cells of disc-middle with moderately thickened walls, with intermediate thickenings and medium and straight-sided to large and bulging trigones, 19–27 µm wide × 28–40 µm long; median basal cells larger, in a single, sometimes indistinct row; surface smooth to finely striate-papillose. Oil-bodies occupying small portion of cell lumen, hyaline and glistening, (2)3–4 per median and upper disc cells, distinctly botryoidal, irregularly ellipsoid to oblong to fusiform to slightly crescentic, 3.5 × 8 µm to 5–6 × 12–15 µm or, in equal numbers spherical and 3.5–5.5 µm in diam., the basal cells with 4 oil-bodies per cell, more coarsely botryoidal, with as few as 3–7 spherules, 5.5–7 × 13–14 µm. Underleaves plicate, widely spreading, symmetrically 4-fid to ca. 0.5–0.6 (median sinus), the lobes typically ventrally sulcate, with strongly reflexed sinus bases, accessory lamellae, and flattened paraphyllia similar to those of the leaves; lobes short-attenuate, the margins entire to irregularly crenulate, often bluntly rounded at the tip or terminating in a uniseriate row of 2(3) cells; disc 8–10 cells high at median sinus, the margins reflexed, subauriculate at base, decurrent, often toothed.
Plants dioecious. Androecia determinate, on tightly spicate, often cernuous ventral-intercalary branches from main shoot and primary branches (in leafy sectors); bracts ventricose-cucullate, 2-lobed to ca. 0.3, the lobes broad acute, at times apiculate; antheridial stalk biseriate. Gynoecia unknown.
Distribution and Ecology : Endemic to New Zealand: Stewart Island (530 m), South Island (610–1525 m), North Island (1200 m). Known from Fiordland, Otago (Blue Mtns.), Westland, Canterbury (Hooker Valley) and Volcanic Plateau (Mt. Ruapehu) EPs.
This species is nearly always penalpine–alpine and occurs under snow tussock (Chionochloa) cover (often on damp ground between tussock bases), particularly on damp slopes or stream banks (perhaps requiring adequate drainage). Also present over leaf litter at the edges of tarns, in crevices of cliff faces, and in pockets of banks. The sole record of the species in South Island forests is from the upper reaches of an open Nothofagus menziesii forest at 610 m at Moraine Creek, where it forms thick deep masses on the sides of bryophyte mounds. On Stewart Island the species was found in a deep, protected niche at 530 m at the summit of Mt. Rocky, an area of very exposed, prominent rocky outcrops, with wind-pruned heath dominated by Leptospermum scoparium up to ca. 50 cm high.
Comments : The combination of brown plants with ornamented leaves and underleaves will immediately distinguish this plant. Leaves and underleaves are variously appendaged with accessory lobes, paraphyllia-like appendages and lamellae (Fig. 35: 1–3, 6, 7, 10). The decurrent ventral extremity of the leaf often extends to the ventral stem midline, and at times is ornamented with accessory lobes (Fig. 35: 1). The ventral and median sinus bases of leaves and sinus bases of underleaves are frequently broadly dilated and the reflexed margins of the lobes often extend downward as irregular lamellae on the abaxial face of the disc. The flattened paraphyllia-like appendages often at the base of the disc are present in no other New Zealand species of Lepidozia.
See also comments under Lepidozia obtusiloba.
