Species

Timmia norvegica

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 - SO

Authority

Timmia norvegica J.E.Zetterst.

Family

Timmiaceae

Flora Category

Non Vascular - Native

Structural Class

Moss

Synonyms

Timmia scotica Stirt.

Distribution

Indigenous. New Zealand: North-West Nelson, otherwise northern hemisphere.

Features

Plants 10-800 mm tall, erect, in compact or loose tufts, brown below, green or yellowish-green above. Stems unbranched or sparsely branched, red-brown 0.6-0.7 mm wide. Rhizoids arising all along stem, from leaves and costa, dark red-black c.15-35 µm wide, coarsely papillose. Leaves crisped or imbricate when dry, erecto-patent when wet, 2.5-12.0 × 0.8-1.1 mm, broadly lanceolate, apex acute to acuminate, with a well differentiated sheath, costa strong, uppermost leaves often longer than those lower on stem with less obvious sheath; leaf limb margin coarsely dentate in upper 1/3-1/2, slightly toothed, crenulate or ± entire in lower part. Dioicous. Perichaetia terminal, with stem continuing growth through a side branch arising just below Perichaetium. Perichaetial leaves long, tapering 7.5-9.0 × 1.0-1.5 mm, costa strong; margin distinct. Archegonia 5 or less per Perichaetium, 1.5-2.0 mm long; paraphyses absent or few, long and filamentous. Setae single, erect, 15-20 mm long, smooth, yellow-orange, brownish when old, twisted weakly to the right when dry. Capsules brownish, oblong-oval, horizontal to weakly pendulous, 2.5-3.0 × 1.5 mm long, non-plicate, weakly, neck scarcely evident; opercula hemispheric; annulus large and revoluble, of 3-4 rows of inflated cells c.0.5 mm wide when inflated; capsule mouth orange, with smaller cells; exostome teeth 16, yellow at base, pale yellow above, tapering from the base 0.8-1.0 × 0.2-0.3 mm, outer surface finely papillose-striate below, coarsely papillose and vertically barred above, in the upper half with a distinct row of central perforations, the inner surface with 45-55 lamellae which in the lower half of teeth are united by cross bars; endostome basal membrane yellow, 0.3-0.4 mm tall, the outer membrane cross –striolate; endostome cilia yellow, irregularly anastomosing 0.40-0.55 mm long, nodose, with 8-11 internodes, with tall papillae on the outer surface, the inner surface of the internodes with numerous short blunt appendiculations. Spores 17-20 µm diameter, brown, round or oval, finely papillose.

Fruiting

Fruits have not been observed in New Zealand populations.

Threats

Not Threatened, All known populations occur within Kahurangi National Park. Listed becaus ein New Zealand it is known from very few populations all within a small area.

This page last updated on 25 Jul 2014