#3728 - Monoclea forsteri
On the overhanging, dripping rocky walls of Nicols Creek, also occupied by the glowworms.
Originally described as a hornwort, Anthoceros univalvis, by William J. Hooker from specimens collected by German-Polish geographer, naturalist, ethnologist, travel writer, journalist and revolutionary Johann George Adam Forster, on the second voyage of Captain James Cook in 1773–1774. And that was the female plant - the male plants weren't recognised until 40 years later, and named Dumortiera dilatata. The current binomial refers to the way the spore capsule only opens on one side, and honours Forster.
New Zealand's largest liverwort, with lobes up to 20cm wide, and colonies meters across. It's endemic to the country, growing along streams and other damp places. There's one other species in the genus, found in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Nicols Creek, Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand
