dendroceros hornwort with a distinctive raised midrib on each thallus
- Size
- Width: 2–5 cm
- Lifespan
- 1–3 years
- Diet
- Grows on bark of trees, rotting logs, and damp rocks in humid, shaded forests. Requires high humidity, stable bark surfaces, and protection from direct sunlight. An epiphyte, a plant that lives on other plants, because soil was apparently too mainstream.
- Habitat
- Grows on the bark of trees, on rotting logs, and on damp rocks in humid, shaded forests throughout New Zealand. A creature of the tree trunk, the bark, the places where the soil is far below and the air is damp. An epiphyte, a plant that lives on other plants, because soil was apparently too mainstream. Forms small, dark green, leafy mats on the bark, with distinctive, horn-like sporophytes that rise from the surface. The hornwort of the tree life, the one that left the ground behind.
- Range
- Found throughout the North and South Islands on bark of native trees, rotting logs, and damp rocks in humid, shaded forests. Most common in lowland and montane forests with high rainfall. Also found in tropical and temperate regions worldwide.
- Endemism
- Native
- Main Threats
- None significant. This species is common and widespread in humid, shaded forests. Localised threats include forest clearance, removal of old trees with stable bark surfaces, and climate change reducing forest floor humidity.
- Population
- Not Threatened. Dendroceros hornwort is common on the bark of native trees, on rotting logs, and on damp rocks in humid, shaded forests throughout New Zealand. It is a widespread species found in tropical and temperate regions around the world.
- Conservation Status
- Not Threatened
The one that lives on trees because it could has a body (thallus) that is small, dark green, and leafy, forming loose, creeping mats on the bark. The thallus is narrow and branching, with a distinct midrib and a ruffled margin. The surface is covered in tiny, granular bumps (granules) that give it a rough, textured appearance. From the thallus rise thin, dark green to brownish, horn-like sporophytes that look like tiny spikes or antennae. It is the hornwort of the arboreal life, the one that left the soil behind because it was too mainstream.
What makes it special is the epiphytism. Dendroceros hornwort is one of the few hornworts that grow on trees. Most hornworts live on damp soil, but Dendroceros has taken to the bark, living on the trunks of trees in humid forests. It is an epiphyte, a plant that grows on other plants, and it gets its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain. It is the hornwort of the high life, the one that looked at the soil and said no thank you, the one that decided to live above the ground.
The thallus is narrow and branching, with a distinct midrib that runs down the centre. The margins are ruffled and wavy, and the surface is covered in tiny, granular bumps. The colour is a dark, olive green to brownish-green, often blending in with the bark. Under a hand lens, the granules are visible, tiny bumps that give the thallus its rough texture.
Biologically, the dendroceros hornwort reproduces by spores, released from the horn-like sporophytes. The sporophytes are long and slender, growing from the thallus like tiny horns. When they mature, they split open, releasing thousands of spores into the damp forest air.
To find dendroceros hornwort is to find the small, dark green mats on the tree bark. They are leafy, bumpy, and horned, a quiet rebel on the trunk. It is the hornwort of the tree life, the one that left the ground behind because soil was apparently too mainstream, the one that proves that there is always another way to live.