Table 4.

A comparison of morphological characters between three New Zealand species, Frullania knightbridgei, Frullania truncatistyla and Frullania rostrata.

Character	Frullania knightbridgei	Frullania truncatistyla	Frullania rostrata
Shoot width	To µm 1000 µm	To 550 µm	To 1100 µm
Stem
Cortical cells	10–34	7–12	10–25
Medullary cells	12–28	8–14	12–30
Leaf-lobe
Apex	Rounded	Acute	Rounded to sharply acute
Median cell size	Dimorphic; central band of cells similar to basal cells	Markedly uniform and smaller than basal cells	Markedly uniform and smaller than basal cells
Leaf-lobule
Position in relation to stem	Often almost parallel with the stem, or at most lobules at angles of up to ca. 25°	Angles of 30–50 (60)u with the stem so that lobules tilted outwards	20) 30–50 (60)° with the stem so that lobules tilted outwards
Length:width ratio	1.75–2:1	1.0–2.0:1	1.5–2.25:1
No. of cells in<br/> circumference	To 25	To 20	To 28
Colour	Bicoloured	Uniform colour similar to other organs	Uniform colour similar to other organs
Cell walls toward lobule apex	Semi straight	Flexuose	Flexuose
Stem-underleaf
Margin	Entire	Entire	Entire; occ. angulated or toothed.
No. of cells wide (lobe)
Width in comparison to stem	(2) 2.5–3.5 (4)	1.0–1.25	(1) 2–3.5 (5)
Stylus
Shape	± triangular	Subrectangular, apex ± truncate to subtruncate	Variable, subtriangular to foliaceous to sickle-shaped
Sexuality	Dioecious	Dioecious	Dioecious
Archegonia No.	1	1	1–2
Perianth	Plicate, to 6-keeled	3-keeled	3-5 keeled
Spores
Form of projections comprising rosette	Taper gradually to a rounded or truncate apex	Not seen	Taper gradually to a rounded or subacute, often hooked apex