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tasmanian liverworts - lepidoziaceae

kurzia 120122D [Sect. Microlepidozia]

 

This is a heliophytic species growing in a seepage in open grassland at around 700m altitude. Bryophytes in the vicinity include Riccardia sp., Telaranea pallescens and several mosses. There was a filamentous algae entwined with the specimens.

Plant was isophyllous, growing in caespitose tufts, sporting lateral branching of both Frullania and Microlepidozia types. This is large relative to other Kurzias we have sighted - one stem measured 25 mm long and this was by no means the longest. We have not been able to identify this from E&G¹, and are not aware a current key is available for Australia.

Branching was not regular but most main stems had at least several long lateral branches; these were slightly weaker than the main stems and ascending with none of these terminating in flagella. Rhizoids were absent from regular stems but there were some on stolons emerging lower down on several stems.

Leaves were concave, mainly 4-fid with blunt spurs at the distal ends of the disk (pix 2). Arrangement was transverse with leaves angled at around 45° with the lobes curving in towards the stem (pix 1). Few leaves measured averaged over 0.4mm across the disk from spur to spur; underleaves did not look much different. Leaf disk was from 8-11 cells high and 20-23 cells across at the widest point, reducing to 8 cells at insertion point.
Leaf lobes (pix 3) usually had a pair of uniseriate cells at the tip followed by a pair of biseriate cells; there were around 6 cells where lobes joined the disk.
Cells were quadrate, arranged in tiers. Striolation was not apparent on the stem leaves but there were some on the bracts. Cell lumen were packed with chloroplasts (pix 3) and oil bodies were not visible on stem leaves. However we did notice 1-3 small botryoidal oil bodies on the bract cells (pix 5) - these were no larger than the chloroplasts.

There were a few ventral intercalary androecial branches (pix4) with much less chloroplasts in the bract cells; antheridial stalks were uniseriate. Gynoecial branches were not observed.

A stem cross section showed there were 12 cortical cell rows and 17 medullary cell rows, of roughly the same size.

E&G keys this out to the Microlepidozia section with the closest species being K. calcarata but the specimen differs from that in significant details.

2. leaf

3. leaf lobe

4. androecium

5. bract cells

 

References
- ¹ Engel, J.J. & Glenny, D., A Flora of the Liverworts and Hornworts of New Zealand, Vol 1, p. 358; ISBN 978-1-930723-67-2

Page URL: http://www.bluetier.org/Liverwort/kurzia-120122D.htm

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