Kurzia helophila R.M.Schust.
Kurzia helophila R.M.Schust., J. Hattori Bot. Lab. 48: 368. f. 6: 1–16. 1980.
Type: New Zealand, South Is., Westland Prov., near Omoeroa River, N of town of Fox Glacier, Schuster 67-236.
Main axis with cortical cells in (10)12 rows; leaves quadrifid or bisbifid to 0.5–0.65; disc (5)7–9 cells high; cells of basal portions of leaf lamina considerably larger than in upper parts and in lobe bases.
Distribution and Ecology : Endemic to New Zealand: South Island (320–1370 m), North Island (920–1320 m). Known from Fiordland, Southland, Otago, Westland, Western Nelson, Southern North Island (Tararua Ra.) and Taranaki EPs.
Kurzia helophila, as the name suggests, is always helophytic. It occurs over a rather broad altitudinal range. Like K. calcarata, it may occur in open, sunny, moory, low-lying coastal areas, highly acidic, either where low Halocarpus biformis, Leptospermum scoparium and Phyllocladus alpinus dwarfed trees grow, admixed with Empodisma minus, or in open pakihi, growing mostly under Gleichenia, adjacent to or mixed with other K. calcarata, Riccardia spp., Lethocolea pansa and Neogrollea notabilis. The species also occurs at higher elevations (550–1370 m), but is confined to boggy, exposed ground, in Oreobolus pectinatus, Donatia novae-zelandiae, Phyllachne colensoi cushion bog, with O. impar, Drosera arcturi, D. spathulata and Lycopodiella diffusa, at times mixed with Sphagnum cristatum and S. falcatulum. At Sewell Peak (Paparoa Ra., 890 m), for example, it occurred in penalpine Chionochloa, Dracophyllum longifolium, Celmisia and Empodisma minus on the ground among cushion plants. At the summit area of Te Rangaakapua (Urewera Natl. Park, 1265–1320 m) it occurs in open, saturated, mucky depressions in a mosaic of stunted Olearia colensoi and tussock with occasional Coprosma spp. At this site, plants at times grow very tightly compact, with only the shoot tips at the surface level. Accompanying species are Calliergonella cuspidatum, Campylopus acuminatus var. kirkii, Cephaloziella nothogena, Cephalomitrium aterrimum, Cheilolejeunea novae-zelandiae, Drepanocladus aduncus, Hygrolembidium acrocladum, Riccardia aequitexta, R. crassa and the lichen Siphula decumbens.
