The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Frullania toropuku

Common Name(s)

liverwort

Current Conservation Status

2013 - Data Deficient

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

Authority

Frullania toropuku von Konrat, de Lange et Larrain

Family

Frullaniaceae

Brief Description

Minute reddish-brown, monoicous foliose liverwort; perianth plicate, 3 major keels + 2–3 supplementary keels, the perianth surface conspicuously ornamented, bullate; the first branch leaf (BL1) of a Frullania-type branch often reduced in size and atypical of the normal stem leaves, with all three segments explanate or at most sulcate, and leaves characteristic of the main stem not developing until either BL2, BL3 or BL4

Flora Category

Non Vascular - Native

Synonyms

None. First described in 2013

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: North and Stewart Islands - known from North Cape (Surville Cliffs), Little Barrier Island, Table Mountain, and from Stewart Island (Paterson Inlet)

Habitat

Variably - has been collected from serpentinite rock and associated saprolite in a small forest remnant; also from the trunks of trees in cloud forest, and from tree trunks in coastal forest.

Flowering

Not Applicable - species reproduces by spores

Fruiting

Unknown - the four collections are all fruiting and these were made between October and February

Threats

Probably not threatened, and probably will prove to be a naturally uncommon, biologicallly sparse species. However, at this stage there is insufficient information to make adefinitive assessment, and this is why Frullania toropuku is listed as 'Data Deficient'. Frullania toropuku is part of the F. rostrata complex, it is minute, and very hard to recognise in the field - this makes surveying for it difficult, and os it may well be that determining an accurate conservation status will prove impractical.

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Capsules are water and possibly also wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).

This page last updated on 25 Jul 2014