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tasmanian liverworts - lepidolaenaceae
lepidolaena t485
1. Lepidolaena T485 habit (with Metzgeria sp.)
This is a minute eiphyte growing on Eucryphia lucida (Tasmanian leatherwood) in the Tarkine forests. Shoots including leaves are around 1.5mm wide. Branching is distant and 2-pinnate.
Just about all the stem underleaves had eroded or broken off when
detached from substrate but a few branch underleaves were visible
(pix 6, 7 & 8). A few branch underleaves were leafy but the rest
had morphed into lobules. They do not observe textbook
description¹ and range from 1-4 lobules per underleaf (pix 9
has 3 underleaf lobules in line with stem).
There was not a lot of material so underleaf in pix 8 is that of one
with a missing lobe.
Leaf cells have prominent trigones with some unusual thickening along the walls and have 12-18 (or more) homogenous elongated oil bodies (pix 4).
The Checklist² shows 4 Lepidolaena for Tasmania: L. brachyclada, L. clavigera, L. reticulata, and L. taylorii. We have ascertained from Hodgson's paper³ that our specimen is not amongst the last 3 mentioned.
 2. shoot |
 3. leaf |
 4. leaf cells |
 5. leaf lobule |
|
 6. first branch underleaf 1 |
 7. first branch underleaf 2 |
 8. branch underleaf |
 9. underleaf lobules |
References
¹Engel, J.J. & Glenny, D., A Flora of the Liverworts and
Hornworts of New Zealand, Vol 1,
p. 91. ISBN 978-1-930723-67-2
²McCarthy, P.M., Checklist of Australian liverworts and hornworts, 2006
³Hodgson, E.A., A Review of New Zealand Species of the
Genus Lepidolaena, Vol 87, 1959, Transactions and
Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand 1868-1961
Page URL: https://www.bluetier.org/Liverwort3/lepidolaena-485.htm