Schistochila

Schistochila balfouriana, photographed by Heino Lepp.

Belongs within: Jungermanniales.

Schistochila is a genus of leafy liverworts, claimed by Hodgson (1942) to be the 'most beautiful' of liverwort genera.

Characters (from Hodgson 1942): Plants small to robust, stems simple or with few branches, sub-woody or fleshy, with or without paraphyllia, with rhizoids on ventral side or at base. Leaves small to very large, succubous, bi-lobed, complicate, dorsal lobe smaller than, or equal to, the ventral, which is usually referred to as the leaf, and attached to the latter at varying distances from margin, the portion of the ventral lobe below the line of insertion, thus forming a wing; sometimes lamellate, margins serrate, ciliate or sub-entire. Stipules present or absent, armature conforming with that of leaves. Sporophyte deeply sunk in swollen apex of stem, which thus forms a tubular involucre adnate with calyptra and overlaid with leaves.

<==Schistochila
    |--S. appendiculata SF01
    |--S. balfouriana M49
    |--S. blumii PK03
    |--S. ciliata M49
    |--S. cunninghamii E03
    |--S. gayana E03
    |    |--S. g. var. gayana E03
    |    `--S. g. var. massalongoana (Schiffn. & Gottsche) Evans 1903 (see below for synonymy) E03
    |--S. glaucescens M49
    |--S. kirkiana M49
    |--S. lamellata (Hooker) Dum. 1835 [=Jungermannia lamellata Hooker 1818, Gottschea lamellata Nees 1844] E03
    |--S. lamellistipula D03
    |--S. lehmanniana M49
    |--S. nobilis M49
    |--S. pachyla E03
    |--S. pinnatifolia M49
    |--S. planifolia E03
    |--S. reicheana D03
    |--S. repleta M49
    |--S. spegazziniana E03
    |--S. splachnophyllum E03
    |--S. stratosa D03
    `--S. unguicularis M49

Schistochila gayana var. massalongoana (Schiffn. & Gottsche) Evans 1903 [=Gottschea gayana var. massalongoana Schiffn. & Gottsche 1890] E03

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[D03] Dusén, P. 1903. The vegetation of western Patagonia. In Reports of the Princeton University Expeditions to Patagonia, 1896-1899, vol. 8 – Botany (W. B. Scott, ed.) pp. 1-34. The University: Princeton (New Jersey).

[E03] Evans, A. W. 1903. Hepaticae collected in southern Patagonia. In Reports of the Princeton University Expeditions to Patagonia, 1896-1899, vol. 8 – Botany (W. B. Scott, ed.) pp. 35-62. The University: Princeton (New Jersey).

Hodgson, E. A. 1942. Review of the New Zealand species of Schistochila, with notes on Colenso's species. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand 71: 181-194.

[M49] Martin, W. 1949. The bryophytes of Stewart Island.—Part I. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand 77 (2): 257-277.

[PK03] Piippo, S., & T. Koponen. 2003. Review of the bryofloristic connections of New Guinea Island. Telopea 10 (1): 467-476.

[SF01] Stech, M., & W. Frey. 2001. CpDNA-relationship and classification of the liverworts (Hepaticophytina, Bryophyta). Nova Hedwigia 72 (1-2): 45-58.