Locally common on damp silt on margins of artificial wetlands created for kaki (Himanotopus novae-zelandiae) management. growing with Glossostigma elatinoides, G. diandrum, G. cleistanthum, Centipeda aotearoana, Limosella lineata, Myriophyllum triphyllum and Dysphania pusilla.
This is a new record for New Zealand.
see also: http://naturewatch.org.nz/observations/2716763.
The description provided below was drawn up by Dr David Glenny from specimens forwarded to him on February 25 2016 by P.J. de Lange (Rebergen, de Lange 12981 & Heenan, vouchers lodged in AK, CANB, CHR)
Plants forming rosettes 30–45 mm in diameter, composed of repeatedly branching thalli with narrow gaps between thallus branches except where rosettes are densely overlapping. Outer branches of rosettes strongly pigmented crimson-red, older central parts of rosette grey-brown, thalli in depressions in the rosette surface yellow-green. Thallus branches 1.0–2.0 mm wide at unbranched apices, apices bilobed, terminal branches with a shallow but conspicuous dorsal channel; thallus branches of central parts of rosette unchannelled. Rosettes closely attached to substrate, ventral scales not visible from dorsal view; marginal hairs absent. Air chambers conspicuous in all parts of the thallus, becoming larger in the central portion of the thallus. Monoicous. Capsules embedded in central older parts of thallus, projecting from the surface as the thallus dries, c. 1.0 mm diameter, wall dark brown. Spores 60–112 µm diameter, variable in size within a single capsule, dark brown, appearing black in open capsules on the thallus surface. Wing c. 4 µm wide, wing margin crenate. Distal face with dichotomously branching ridges forming complete or incomplete polygons centrally, forming smaller complete polygons near the wing. Proximal face with a conspicuous triradiate ridge, the three faces with irregular large branched papillae sometimes forming short ridges unconnected to the triradiate ridge.
Spore images taken by David Glenny (25 February 2016). Identification by David Glenny and Kelly Froggley, and confirmed by Dr Rod Seppelt and Dr Chris Cargill.
