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Photo: John E. Braggins 		FamilyJubulaceae
Frullania truncata

The appellation, Frullania, was first published by Giuseppe Raddi (1818) in honour of Leonardo Frullani of Florence, Italy, who was an important public functionary at the time (c.f Sim-Sim 1999). truncata describes the truncate stylus, which is rectangular in shape and terminates very abruptly as if cut straight across.
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Description:
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Synonyms: none
Status:
Endemic to New Zealand


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Species Description: (See also: Detailed Species Description)

Plants small (main shoots 350-550 µm wide), forming olive-green, copper-brown, to black patches, closely to loosely adhering to substrate. Frullania-type (FB) and occasionally, Lejeunea-type (LB) branching. Lobules ± remote from the stem; cylindrically pitcher-shaped, somewhat dorsiventrally compressed near mouth as compared to slightly gibbous upper half; ca. 1/3 from lobule mouth there is usually an enlarged and elongated cell. Stylus large, to almost 0.5 the length of the lobule, subrectangular in outline. Underleaves: free lateral margins always entire. Median leaf-lobe cells usually ± uniform in shape and size; ± subquadrate to rectangular, hyaline walls heavily and equally thickened, intermediate thickening absent. Oil-bodies of the leaf lobe median cells: 2-3 (4) oil-bodies per cell, typically small, without any significant, visible, internal structure i.e giving the appearance of being almost homogeneous, ocelli never present. Plants dioecious. Perianth freely emergent, exterior smoothly trigonous, oblong-ovate, tapering towards the apex into a short beak; perianth beak cylindrical, rim of the mouth smooth but the inner beak surface densely covered with large single-celled protuberances. Sporophyte: not seen.


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Recognition in field/Identification:
This species is very difficult to recognise in the field, especially when mingled with other hepatics. Fullania truncata may be considered as a somewhat cryptic species, being very small in size and superficially resembling other Frullania taxa. It may also be easily be overlooked when growing in the grooves of the bark of its host. In some cases, when the plant is growing on bark providing reasonable colour contrast, this species can be recognised by the elongate stems and irregular branching.

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Relationships:
Frullania truncata has very close affinities with two South American species from this subgenus, F. lobulata and F. microcaulis, but unlike these species, F. truncata has a large, distinct, rectangular stylus with an almost truncate apex that immediately differentiates it from either of these species. The dioicous state, the large size of the lobules in comparison to the lobe, and the sparingly branching pattern, also distinguish F. truncata from F. microcaulis.
Frullania truncata may easily be confused or overlooked as a small form of the Australasian F. rostrata, but the latter can always be separated from F. truncata by the absence of the conspicuous projecting cell above the lobule mouth and the smaller triangular styli. Frullania truncata may also possibly be confused for another small species, F. subrostrata, but the latter is monoicous, has a distinctive furrow on the dorsal face of the perianth, and has toothed underleaves.
This is one of a suite of taxa that appear to be very uniform or constant and lack any notable variability. The distinctive Chevalieri-type initial branching appendages may vary in terms of their frequency but the plants otherwise appear to be fairly uniform.



Classification/Phylogeny:



See also Classification/Phylogeny



Index

Nomenclature:

truncata describes the truncate stylus, which is rectangular in shape and terminates very abruptly as if cut straight across.


Index

Geographic distribution:

New Zealand Liverworts



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Habitat:




Index

Herbarium specimen records:

Herbarium records


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Chemistry:




Index

Links to Other Sites:




Index

References:



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Last update: Feb 1, 2004