The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Fissidens oblongifolius

Etymology

Fissidens: From the Latin fissio 'fission' and dens 'tooth, prong' meaning split tooth and referring to shape of the lamina.

Common Name(s)

moss

Current Conservation Status

2009 - At Risk - Naturally Uncommon

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 - Data Deficient

Qualifiers

2009 - DP, RR, SO, Sp

Authority

Fissidens oblongifolius Hook.f. et Wilson var. oblongifolius

Family

Fissidentaceae

Flora Category

Non Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

FISOBL

Structural Class

Moss

Synonyms

Fissidens oblongifolius Hook.f. et Wilson var. oblongifolius

Distribution

Indigenous. New Zealand: Kermadec Islands (Raoul Island), North Island (Te Paki, Ahipara, Bay of Islands and Rangitoto Island), Chatham Islands (Rekohu). Also Australia.

Habitat

Terricolous and saxicolous. Coastal to lowland in open scrubland (especially on exposed clay pans or under a light shrub canopy) but also in stream beds, on water saturated banks, in seepages, around cave entrances, amongst rocks, in crevices and in dense forest.

Features

Plants 5-25 mm long, sometimes black below, loosely gregarious. Stems frequently branched by means of innovations below the terminal gametoecia, with rhizoids at the base only. Leaves in 15-30(-40) pairs, overlapping in mid-stem, patent, plane when moist, tips loosely and irregularly rolled up when dry, tending toward the substratum, lingulate, 1.7-3.0 x 0.2-0.35 mm; the apex acute to obtuse; laminae unistratose; the vaginant lamina up to 2/3 the leaf length, half-open to closed; margins serrulate-crenate on the apical, dorsal, and the vaginant laminae, with cells of the suprabasal vaginant lamina margins isodiametric to oblate; cells of the apical and dorsal laminae irregularly hexagonal, smooth, strongly bulging. Dorsal lamina tapered to base, often failing above the insertion; cells of the apical and dorsal laminae (6-)8-11(-15) x (6-)8-11(-15) µm. Costa failing below the leaf apex. Gonioautoicous. Perigonia axillary on the fruiting stems, bulbiform, conspicuous. Perichaetia terminal on main shoots and innovations, perichaetial leaves longer than the vegetative leaves. Setae 5-10 mm; capsules horizontal to inclined, moderately to strongly asymmetric, 5.0-1.0 mm. Calyptra and mature spores not seen in New Zealand material.

Similar Taxa

Most often confused with Fissidens asplenioides from which it differs by its dark green rather than yellow-green colour and by the suprabasal region of the vaginant lamina which in F. asplenioides has marginal cells taller than wide, and the margin itself is entire (or nearly so), whereas in F. oblongifolius the marginal cells are wider than tall and the margin is distinctly serrulate (see Beever et al. 2002). From the two other allied members of the F. oblongifolius complex, F. oblongifolius is distinguished by a suite of characters than include the presence of bulbiform axillary perigonia; perichaetial leaves longer than the vegetative leaves; by the longer setae and absence of calyptra and mature spores (Beever et al. 2002). Fissidens oblongifolius is usually terricolous and seems more tolerant than F. capitatus and F. hyophilus of drought and exposed conditions.

Fruiting

Sporophytes although not common may be seen throughout the year

Threats

Fissidens oblongifolius is now known to be a sparsely distributed, naturally uncommon species of mostly northern New Zealand. It is most common in Te Paki where it is the dominant Fissidens species of the exposed ferricrete clay pans and erosion gullies of North Cape (which is a fully protected area). Elsewhere in New Zealand it seems to be genuinely scarce and in some areas is only known from a handful of plants. Beyond habitat loss in some coastal areas through residential development there seem to be no major threats affecting this species.

Endemic Taxon

No

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 25 Jul 2014