Lembidium

• Authority

  Fulford, Margaret H. 1966. Manual of the leafy Hepaticae of Latin America--Part II. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 11: 173-276.

• Family

  Lepidoziaceae

• Scientific Name

  Lembidium

• Description

  Species Description - Leafy stems turgid, ascending to erect, in tufts or scattered among other bryophytes (the American species), more or less radially symmetric from a closely branched rhizome system of flagelliform and stolon-like prostrate axes; branches ventral intercalary, as leafy stems, flagelliform branches, stolons or rhizomes. Leaves [American species] subquadrate to rectangular, bisbifid, or quadrifid, trifid, rarely bifid above, often of two layers of cells below. Underleaves similar, as large as the leaves or nearly so. Plants dioicous, the male and female inflorescences on short, erect, leafy branches from the rhizome or its branches. Male inflorescence terminal becoming intercalary, trigonous, the bracts and bracteoles similar, like small concave quadrifid leaves; antheridia in the axils of the bracts. Female inflorescence with three or four series of bracts and bracteoles like the leaves but increasing in size to the innermost series. Perianth cylindrical below, 3-keeled above, the keels rounded, inflated, the mouth contracted. Sporophyte not seen.

• Discussion

  Type species: Jungermannia nutans Hooker & Taylor, London Jour. Bot. 3: 389. 1844. [Auchland I.]