Ceratolejeunea szysylowiczii (Loitl.) Steph.

  • Authority

    Dauphin L, G. 2003. . Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 90: 1-86. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Lejeuneaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Ceratolejeunea szysylowiczii (Loitl.) Steph.

  • Type

    Type. Peru. Tambillo, Jel-ski 527 (holotype, W; isotypes G, JE, U).

  • Synonyms

    Lejeunea szysylowiczii Loitl.

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants dioicous?, dull brown, leafy shoots 1.0-1.6 mm wide, sparsely to profusely branched. Stems 100 µm in diameter, medullary cells 13-17 in cross section, ventral cells in surface view quadrate to rectangular, 25-55 × 30-60(-95) µm, dorsal cells mostly quadrate, 30-50 × 25-50 µm. Flagelliferous branches not seen. Leaves imbricate, leaf lobe ovate, slightly asymmetrical, 290-630 × 450-850 µm, apex rounded or broadly acute, margins entire and plane, median leaf lobe cells isodiametrical, elliptical towards base, 15-25 × 20-40 µm, marginal leaf lobe cells 10-20 × 15-25 µm, intermediate thickenings present; oil bodies not seen; ocelli scarcely differentiated from normal leaf cells, 3-4 per leaf, 20-30 × 30-40 µm, scattered in the leaf lamina or seriate, row 110 µm long; lobules inflated throughout, elongate, 0.4-0.6 the leaf lobe length, free margin plane or slightly involute, apical tooth scarcely projecting. Utriculi not seen. Underleaves orbicular, 190-410 × 200-375 µm, margins entire and plane, apex entire or slightly emarginate. Androecia not seen. Gynoecia on short lateral branches of the main stem, without innovations, bracts with entire margins; bracteoles 390 × 570 µm, obovate, margins entire. Perianth 260-520 × 390-970 µm, horns bulbous, 4 per perianth, 125 µm long. Sporophyte not seen.

  • Discussion

    Ceratolejeunea szyszylowiczii is distinguished from other species in the subgenus Ceratolejeunea by its lobules, which are uniformly inflated with a plane or slightly involute free margin. The leaf lobe is plane and not incurved as in the other members of the subgenus. This species resembles C. grandiloba in the distribution of the ocelli, which can be scattered or moniliate at the leaf lobe base, but the lobule and leaf lobe characters (plane in C. szyszylowiczii, strongly concave in C. grandiloba) separate these taxa.

  • Distribution

    Peru. Known only from the type locality in the Northern Andes. Substrate and habitat unknown.

    Peru South America|