The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Cololejeunea appressa

Common Name(s)

liverwort

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 - Threatened - Nationally Critical

Qualifiers

2009 - RR, Sp

Authority

Cololejeunea appressa (A.W.Evans) Benedix

Family

Lejeuneaceae

Flora Category

Non Vascular - Native

Structural Class

Liverwort

Synonyms

None

Distribution

Indigenous. A mainly tropical species common in north-eastern Australia. In New Zealand it is known only from the North Island (Northland (at Unuwhao and Radar Bush, Te Paki) and Waikato (Port Waikato)) and Chatham Islands (Rangiauria/Pitt Island (Waipaua))

Features

Corticolous and folicolous. Plants minute, bright yellow green. Leaf lobe ovate, lobule projecting below lobe margin almost completely. Lobe length 310-415 um, cell walls thick (c.2 um), small cell lumen 7-8 um wide, cells somewhat quadrate. Walls thick, 2 mm wide with occasional intermediate thickenings often developed only on one side. At lobe tip marginal cells with both middle of lumen and walls projecting slightly. Marginal cells similar in size to those of lobe or slightly smaller. Ocelli prominent, of 4(-5) cells in a single row, each with a single large oil body filling the lumen. Individually 27-44 x 16-19 um. Stylus not present, leaf base furnished with large, globose cell at the leaf base where it joins the stem. Lobule ovoid to broadly urceolate, 130 x 105 microns. Inner margin of the mouth bearing 2 teeth, one of these 1-2 cells long and on the side away from the keel, the other, unicellular, smaller, triangular, apex sharply pointed. The lobule almost completely offset from the leaf lobe and only overlaps the row of ocelli slightly. Lobule 130 x 105 um.

Fruiting

Not observed in New Zealand specimens

Threats

Recent field surveys have found Cololejeunea appressa to be a biologically sparse, naturally uncommon and widely distributed species of northern New Zealand and the Chatham Islands

Endemic Taxon

No

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 20 Oct 2014