Species

Brachythecium subpilosum

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

Qualifiers

2009 - DP, SO, OL

Authority

Brachythecium subpilosum (Hook.f. et Wilson) A.Jaeger

Family

Brachytheciaceae

Flora Category

Non Vascular - Native

Structural Class

Moss

Synonyms

Hypnum subpilosum Hook.f. et Wilson

Distribution

Indigenous. South Island: Mt McRae (St. Arnaud Range). Present also in Australia, South America (Argentina and Chile), South Georgia and the South Shetland Islands.

Habitat

Terricolous usually alpine, often within Chionochloa pallens/C. australis grassland in damp sites with Schoenus pauciflorus.

Features

Medium-sized, bright-green, moss forming dense mats. Stems prostrate to suberect, irregularly branched, c. 60 mm, in cross-section, and bearing brown, smooth rhizoids in bunches on the lower side of the leaf bases. Branches 5–20 mm long. Stem leaves erect-spreading, symmetric, c. 2.0–2.5 × 0.7–0.9 mm. ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, moderately keeled (usually with two pleats extending from base for half of leaf length), recurved below on one or both sides, recurvation often extending to one half or three quarters the length of the leaf, moderately concave, weakly decurrent, entire throughout or finely serrulate near apex, Branch leaves slightly smaller, 1.6–2.0 × 0.5–0.6 mm, scarcely decurrent, distinctly serrulate, usually twisted near apex. Nerve extending for one halt to two-thirds of the leaf length. Upper laminal cells smooth, firm-walled, linear, 54–90 × 5–7 µm, basal cells shorter in c.5 rows, alar cells quadrate to shortly oblong, seriate, forming a moderately differentiated group extending for 8 or so cells up the basal margin. Autoicous? Perichaetial leaves ovate-lanceolate, ecostate, patent above. Perigonia and sporophytes not seen in New Zealand plants.

Fruiting

Fruiting specimens have not been observed in New Zealand

Threats

Known from a single gathering. Probably better treated as Data Deficient

This page last updated on 25 Jul 2014