Syrrhopodon rupestris Mitt.

  • Authority

    Reese, William D. 1993. Calymperaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 58: 1-102. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Calymperaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Syrrhopodon rupestris Mitt.

  • Type

    Type. Brazil. Fl. Negro et Uaupes, Spruce 14 (NY).

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants tall and slender, dicranoid in appearance; rhizoids dark-red; stems 4-7(-10) cm tall, little branched. Leaves narrowly linear-acuminate above much broader base, 6-9(-11) mm long, ending with excurrent distally coarsely toothed costa, tightly involute and laxly contorted when dry, channeled and widely spreading to recurved when moist; margins of upper lamina thickened and slightly winged, coarsely toothed in 2 rows distally with paired teeth, margins of lower lamina finely and more or less evenly serrulate at shoulders; cancellinae fragile and eroded in older leaves, longer next to margins than at costa and forming a V-shaped area (but this difficult to see unless the lower lamina is unfolded); median leaf cells square to rounded-rectangular, mostly ca. 8-12 x 6-7 µm, smooth dorsally, bulging ventrally, more or less porose just above cancellinae. Gemmae and sporophytes unknown.

  • Discussion

    This rare endemic is easily distinguished by its very long and narrow leaves with spinose tips, shape of the cancellinae, long, slender stems, and habitat. See Reese (1977) for further discussion of this species. Although a fair number of modem collections of S. rupestris now exist, none is fertile or gemmiferous. Syrrhopodon steyermarkii is similar; see comments under that species for distinctions.

  • Distribution

    A narrow endemic of northern South America. Colombia (Amazonas, Vaupés); Venezuela (Amazonas); Brazil (Amazonas); on boulders along streams.

    Colombia South America| Amazonas Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Amazonas Venezuela South America| Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America|