Biosystematics of the cryptogamic flora of New Zealand: Bryophytes

Abstract

Although New Zealand's diverse bry-ophyte flora has attracted the attention of collectors and botanical authors since 1791 our knowledge of the bryoflora lags considerably behind that of the vascular flora.

The historical development of both New Zealand muscology and hepaticology is reviewed. In muscology, the contributions of W. Wilson, J. D. Hooker, R. Brown ter., T. W. N. Beckett, H. N. Dixon, and G. O. K. Sainsbury are critically discussed. Whereas Sainsbury's Handbook provides a firm foundation for the modern study of New Zealand mosses, only about 20 per cent of the flora has received adequate monographic study.

In hepaticology, prior to 1960, the efforts of W. Mitten, W. Colenso, and E. A. Hodgson are the most historically significant. Since 1960, several overseas workers (especially Engel, Grolle, Inoue, and Schuster) have made major contributions to the knowledge of New Zealand hepatics, largely by publication of monographs and regional discussions, while the bibliographic efforts of B. Hamlin also removed an impediment to progress.

The limited biosystematic literature dealing with New Zealand bryophytes is reviewed; mosses and hepatics (including hornworts) are treated separately. For each group five categories are discussed: (1) numerical classifications (including both phe-netic and cladistic treatments), (2) cytological studies, (3) phytochemical studies, (4) reproductive biology studies, and (5) experimental studies. Biosystematic methods have considerable, but largely untapped, potential for the elucidation of the relationships of the New Zealand bryophyte flora.

The broad outline of the New Zealand bryophyte flora is now well known and continued floristic study will fill relatively minor gaps. Taxonomic revisions, ideally encompassing other austral regions, are now necessary and these should provide the basis for the production of modern regional floras.

Keywords:

• bryophytes
• mos