Species

Riccardia pseudodendroceros

Common Name(s)

Liverwort

Current Conservation Status

2009 - Threatened - Nationally Critical

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 - DP, OL

Authority

Riccardia pseudodendroceros R.M.Schust.

Family

Aneuraceae

Flora Category

Non Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

RICPSE

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

Liverwort

Synonyms

None

Distribution

Endemic. South Island, Paparoa National Park

Features

Thallus large, narrow, elongated and creping. Growth indeterminate, branching alternate with most of the side branches of limited growth, bi-tripinnate with some quadripinnate lobing, width 1460-1970 microns. Side pinnae extensively winged with secondary one cell thick pinnae frequent; margins of ultimate pinnae upturned, crispate, sinuose. Apices distinctly dissected with lateral apices becoming short side pinnae or new main axis. Mucilage papillae ventral, a few persisting, 58-122 x 10-22 microns. Rhizoids, stolons and gemmae not known. Axis plano-convex with acute winged margins, 265-315 microns thick, internal cell walls thin to slightly thickened. Wing 1-4 cells wide. Epidermal cells gibbous with a blunt rounded apex, tending to be prominent on the ventral surface. Epidermal cells, including marginal cells usually lacking chloroplasts, shallower than the internal cells. Marginal cells not differentiated and the epidermal cell walls not sculptured. Dorsal epidermal cells round to hexagonally elongate 30-74 x 16-30 microns and 20-30 microns deep. Ventral epidermal cells similar, 42-85 x 27-38 microns, 12-36 microns deep. Dorsal subepidermal cells hexagonally elongate, 80-135 x 38-56 microns. Ventral subepidermal cells similar, 115-190 x 39-57 microns. Internal cells 174-305 x 51-68 microns and 27-67 microns deep. Oil bodies: c.25-60% of epidermal cells with 1 oil-body, 7 x 7-9 to 8-9 x 11-13 microns, subepidermal cells with 1-2 oil-bodies, 10-11 x 16 to 11-12(-14) x 19-22 microns.

Fruiting

Fruits not known

Threats

Known only from the type gathering. Exact threats not clear but evidently a very uncommon plant.

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Attribution

Fact sheet prepared for NZPCN by P.J. de Lange (27 August 2006). Description adapted from Brown & Braggins (1989).

References and further reading

Brown, E.A.; Braggins, J.E. 1989: A revision on the genus Riccardia S.F. Gray in New Zealand with notes on the genus Aneura Dum. Journal of the Hattori Botanical Labratory 66: 1-132.

This page last updated on 20 Oct 2014