''Ambuchanania leucobryoides'' is the only species in the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

genus ''Ambuchanania''. It is a '' Sphagnum''-like

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

endemic to

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. Originally described as a species of ''Sphagnum'', it is now a separate genus named after the original collector Alex M. Buchanan, (b.1944) an Australian botanist from the

Tasmanian Herbarium The Tasmanian Herbarium is a herbarium in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Its Index Herbariorum code is HO. It is a part of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. The earliest plant samples in the herbarium's collection date from early European explo ...

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

, (it was first collected in 1987). ''A. leucobryoides'' differs from the family

Sphagnaceae The Sphagnaceae is a family of moss with only one living genus ''Sphagnum ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, peat moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term ...

in having elongate antheridia. It is entirely restricted to south-west Tasmania's Wilderness World Heritage Area where it occurs on white

Precambrian The Precambrian (or Pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pꞒ, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of the ...

quartzitic sand deposited by alluvial flows, and on margins of buttongrass (''

Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus ''Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus'', commonly known as buttongrass, is a species of tussock-forming sedge from southeastern Australia. It forms part of a unique habitat in Tasmania. It was originally described as ''Chaetospora sphaerocephala'' by ...

'') sedge land. Species most commonly found in association with ''A. leucobryoides'' include: ''

Leptocarpus tenax ''Leptocarpus tenax'' is a species of plant in the family Restionaceae. It is perennial, dioecious herb found in many moist parts of eastern and southern Australia and often seen growing from 50 to 130 cm tall, with stems 1 to 2 mm in diameter. ...

'', ''

Chordifex hookeri ''Chordifex hookeri'' is commonly known as woolly buttonrush or cord-rush. It is a rush species of the genus '' Chordifex'' in the family Restionaceae. The species is endemic to Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map ...

'', and ''

Actinotus suffocatus ''Actinotus suffocatus'', the crimson flannelflower, is a small, perennial herb endemic to the Australian State of Tasmania. It is primarily found in high-elevation habitats in wet situations, except in the far south-west of the island, where it ...

''. Currently, ''A. leucobryoides'' is listed as rare under the Tasmanian Threatened Species Protection Act 1995.

Description

Mature plants are small, pale brown or whitish green when dry. The stems are approximately 2 cm long, and are irregularly and sparsely branched. Leaves on the stem have a broadly lanceolate shape 3.6-4.3 mm long.

Spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...

capsules are whitish-yellow and globose, atop a seta (stalk) that is 1.2 cm long.

References

* Johnson, K.A., Whinam, J., Buchanan, A.M. & Balmer, J. (2008) Ecological observations and new locations of a rare moss, ''Ambuchanania leucobryoides'' (Ambuchananiaceae). ''Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania''. 142 (2): 79–84. * Shaw, A. Jonathan, 2000. Phylogeny of the Sphagnopsida Based on Chloroplast and Nuclear DNA Sequence

''The Bryologist'' 103 (2): 277–306. * Shaw, A. Jonathan, Cymon J. Cox & Sandra B. Boles (2003) Polarity of peatmoss (''Sphagnum'') evolution: who says bryophytes have no roots

''American Journal of Botany'' 90: 1777–1787.

External links

Sphagnales Monotypic moss genera {{Bryophyte-stub