Species

Macromitrium brevicaule

Etymology

brevicaule: with a short stem

Common Name(s)

moss

Current Conservation Status

2009 - Range Restricted

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Previous Conservation Status

2004 - Extinct

Qualifiers

2009 - SO

Authority

Macromitrium brevicaule (Besch.) Broth.

Family

Orthotrichaceae

Flora Category

Non Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

MACBRE

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Moss

Synonyms

Macromitrium subfragile Dixon et Sainsbury

Distribution

Indigenous. Australia and New Zealand. In New Zealand known from the Kermadec Islands (Raoul Island), northern North Island and adjacent offshore islands (mostly easterly from Te Paki to Hauturu (Clark Island) near Whangamata, and with two westerly records from Maungaraho Rock (near Tokatoka on the Wairoa River) and from Te Rokotai (South Head, Kaipara)) and Chatham Islands (Rekohu only).

Features

Autoicous, corticolous or saxicolous creeping moss forming dense mats coloured yellow-brown or greenish brown above, darker below. Branches very short, up to 5 mm long, crowded, very densely foliate, simple or fastigiately branched. Leaves c.2 mm long, rather fragile, crowded, closely spirally enrolled round the stem when dry; spreading when moist; lamina broadly oblong or ligulate, obtuse or subobtuse, mostly stoutly apiculate; margins plane and entire; nerves robust, projecting dorsally, usually excurrent as a very short stout apiculus. Upper cells 7-10 microns, subquadrate, chlorophyllose, lowly papillose, thin-walled; lower cells shortly rectangular or oval, pellucid and colourless, smooth, incrassate with the marginal cells occasionally narrowed and elongated. Perichaetial bracts not differentiated. Seta 2-3 mm long. Capsule c.1.5 mm long, ovate, narrowed at the mouth, indistinctly plicate. Peristome teeth 16, short, pale, papillose above and finely striolate below. Operculum with an erect subulate beak. Calyptra smooth, plicate, finely lobed at the base, yellow with a reddish-brown apex. Male inflorescences at the terminus of short branchlets

Fruiting

Although fruit has been seen insufficient information exists to provide any details on the timing of fruiting

Threats

Not Threatened. However, this species is very uncommon in the New Zealand part of its range. It seems to be secure at the majority of its known sites.

Endemic Taxon

No

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Attribution

Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (5 November 2007). Description adapted from Vitt (1983).

References and further reading

Vitt, D.H. 1983: The New Zealand species of the pantropical genus Macromitrium (Orthotrichaceae: Musci) taxonomy, phylogeny and phytogeography. Journal of the Hattori Botanical Laboratory 54: 1-94.

This page last updated on 20 Oct 2014