Campylopus japonicus Broth.

  • Authority

    Frahm, Jan-Peter. 1991. Dicranaceae: Campylopodioideae, Paraleucobryoideae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 54: 1-238. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Dicranaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Campylopus japonicus Broth.

  • Type

    Type. Japan, without detailed locality, Ankarcrona s.n. (holotype, H-BR).

  • Synonyms

    Campylopus saint-pierrei Thér.

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants in loose, green tufts to 3.5 cm high, reddish tomentose below, equally foliate or sometimes interruptedly comose. Leaves loosely erect, 5-7 mm long, slenderly acuminate from a lanceolate base and (in sunny places) ending in a short or long, hyaline, toothed awn, tubulose in the upper 1/3. Costa 1/2 or more of the leaf base, slightly ribbed at back, in transverse section with ventral substereids in the basal part of the leaf and ventral stereids in the upper part. Alar cells conspicuously differentiated, reddish or hyaline (sometimes reddish within and hyaline at the margins). Inner basal laminal cells thick-walled, subquadrate to short rectangular (1-3:1), the marginal cells longer, narrower and hyaline in 37 rows. Upper laminal cells oval-elongate, with rounded ends owing to thickened comers, 13-26 × 5-7 µm, 3-6:1, those at margins shorter. Sporophytes unknown.

  • Discussion

    A species which is conspicuous by its subquadrate basal laminal cells. The remarkable disjunction between Asia and Mexico is met in several other species of bryophytes and is interpreted as a relic of a circum-pacific range in the Tertiary. The specimens from Mexico differ from the Asian populations in the transverse section of the costa, which show ventral stereids through the whole leaf, whereas the Asian specimens show ventral substereids in the basal part of the leaf and stereids in the upper part of the leaf. This may indicate that the Mexican population may be a vicariant geographical race.

    Campylopus japonicus is known only sterile in Mexico, which may be the reason for the small and isolated range.

  • Distribution

    An Asian species ranging from Japan to S China, Peninsular Malaysia, Tahiti and Queensland. In the Neotropics found only in Mexico on soil and rocks in wet coniferous and evergreen forests between 1500 and 2400 m altitude.

    Mexico North America| Chiapas Mexico North America| Jalisco Mexico North America| Venezuela South America| Mérida Venezuela South America| Táchira Venezuela South America| Trujillo Venezuela South America| Ecuador South America| Azuay Ecuador South America| Loja Ecuador South America| Pichincha Ecuador South America| Zamora-Chinchipe Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Amazonas Peru South America| Cusco Peru South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America|