Description, distribution and ecology of endemic Tasmanian quillwort, Isoetes jarmaniae, sp. nov. (Isoetaceae; Lycopodiopsida)

Researchers have discovered a new species of quillwort, Isoetes jarmaniae, endemic to the Tasmanian Wilderness. This diminutive lycophyte exhibits globally uncommon morphological features, including markedly flattened and recurved leaves, large sporangium ligules resembling South American taxa, and an exceptionally thin and wide megaspore equatorial ridge with a triangular shape akin to Indian species. Its microspores also display unique fine-papillate ornamentation not seen in other Australasian taxa. The study provides a key for identifying this species alongside other Tasmanian Isoetes, highlighting its regional uniqueness and potential diploid status within a small geographic range of peat-bound karstic wetlands.

BRUNTON, D. F., GARRETT, M., SOKOLOFF, P. C., & KANTVILAS, G. (2021). Description, distribution and ecology of endemic Tasmanian quillwort, Isoetes jarmaniae, sp. nov. (Isoetaceae; Lycopodiopsida). Phytotaxa, 522(1), 27–37. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.522.1.3