Dicranodontium pulchroalare Broth.

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Dicranaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Dicranodontium pulchroalare Broth.

  • Type

    Type. Venezuela. Mt. Roraima, McConnell & Quelch 345 (lectotypus nov., H-BR).

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants very robust and tall, to 12 cm high, yellowish to brownish green. Stems with reddish tomentum. Leaves 8-12 mm long, canaliculate, narrowly lanceolate, ending in a long, serrate subula. Costa filling 1/3 of the leaf base, in transverse section with multilayered bands of ventral and dorsal stereids, excurrent. Alar cells large, reddish, inflated and prominent. Basal laminal cells rectangular, 20-25 × 50-100 µm, incrassate and pitted, narrower at margins. Upper laminal cells incrassate, strongly pitted, narrowly lanceolate to elongate, 2-5 × 13-25 µm. Sporophyte not known.

  • Discussion

    In the strongly pitted basal laminal cells and the inflated reddish alar cells this species strongly resembles Dicranodontium subporodictyon Brotherus, a holarctic species, occurring in China, western North America and western Europe. The relationship between these species is not clear and needs further study.

  • Distribution

    In moist montane forests, known only from the type locality at Mt. Roraima and one additional record from Costa Rica.

    Costa Rica South America| Heredia Costa Rica Central America|