Trichostomum imshaugii
Common names
moss
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Current conservation status
This is the first complete assessment of all known species of mosses found in the wild in Aotearoa New Zealand with a total of 560 species being assessed. The conservation status of mosses, published in the NZTCS database, replaces all previous assessments of mosses. Data supporting the 2025 NZTCS assessment of mosses has been published on the NZTCS database at https://nztcs.org.nz/reports/1155.
Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2025 | Data Deficient
Category
Non-vascular
Structural class
Mosses
Detailed description
Dark-green to olive-green moss forming tufts 2-3 mm tall. Stems erect, simple. Leaves erect-incurved, occasionally weakly twisted, apex cuspidate, recurved when dry, erect-spreading to recurved-spreading when moist, 1.5-2.0 mm long, ligulate-oblong, to oblong, rarely spathulate-oblong, sometimes slightly contracted near the middle of the leaf, strongly cuspidate, acute to obtuse, strongly carinate, canaliculate; margin entire, plane; nerve strong, papillose in the upper ½, excurrent as a strong red, cuspidate apex, c.45-70 µm wide at the leaf middle, in cross-section with two stereid bands; upper cells 7-12 µm wide, subquadrate to rounded-quadrate, pluripapillose, obscure; basal cells long-rectangular (c.3:1) hyaline, thin-walled, becoming quadrate to short-rectangular, slightly papillose and chlorophyllose at the upper basal margin, forming a border of 3-6 rows of cells in the upper basal portion of the leaf. Sporophytes not seen.
Distribution
?Endemic. South Island (Fiordland National Park), Campbell Island.
Substrate details
Saxicolous on wet basalt or schist rock
Threats
Known from very few collections. Probably not threatened but as so little is known about it, it has been listed Data Deficient as a precautionary measure.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Barbula imshaugii Vitt
Taxonomic notes
Trichostomum imshaugii is now known to be conspecific with the earlier named Willia calobolax - this Fact Sheet will in time be merged with that available for Willia (P.J. de Lange notes 17 July 2011)
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Fruiting
Fruits not known
Other information
Previous conservation status
This is the first complete assessment of all known species of mosses found in the wild in Aotearoa New Zealand with a total of 560 species being assessed. The conservation status of mosses, published in the NZTCS database, replaces all previous assessments of mosses. Data supporting the 2025 NZTCS assessment of mosses has been published on the NZTCS database at https://nztcs.org.nz/reports/1155.
Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2009 | Data Deficient