save the Blue Tier
tasmanian liverworts - lophocoleaceae
chiloscyphus rupicola
1. habit
This is unlike others of the genus we have sighted on the Blue Tier in having teeth around the leaf margin. A check on Engel's description and diagrams of C. rupicola provided the identity.
It was growing near one of the peaks on the Blue Tier. Engel described this as often being corticolous at the base of trees, which is where we discovered our specimen.
Engel says of this species:
'In Tasmania the species is nearly exclusively corticolous, occurring on living as well as decayed wood. It occurs on bark of upright trees, particularly near the bases. It is frequently present on prostrate fallen tree trunks and logs with varying degrees of decortication and decay that range to very rotted, crumbly, decorticated wood on the forest floor. I have frequently encountered the species as scattered small patches quite separated from one another on prostrate, bryophyte- covered, large logs. It also occurs on fallen branches and sticks on the forest floor, suggesting that the plant may be present in the forest canopy. The plant rarely may be found on forest floor litter or over stream bank boulders. It ranges from sea level to 1010 m.'
The Tasmanian Herbarium holds 2 specimens collected by Weymouth from the Blue Tier back in 1911. One was labelled Lophocolea geheebii (Rodway 1363) and the other collected on December 27, labelled Lophocolea lauterbachii (Rodway 1372).(Thanks to LC for this information.)
2. leaf |
3. underleaf |
4. leaf cells |
References:
Engel, JJ Austral Hepaticae 45. A monograph of the Genus
Chiloscyphus Corda (Lophocoleaceae) for Australasia Fieldiana
Botany, Number 48:1-206. 2010.
Page URL: https://www.bluetier.org/Liverwort3/chiloscyphus-rupicola.htm