Brachiolejeunea

• Authority

  Britton, Nathaniel L. & Millspaugh, Charles F. 1920. The Bahama Flora.

• Family

  Lejeuneaceae

• Scientific Name

  Brachiolejeunea

• Description

  Description - Plants prostrate or pendulous, medium sized to large, irregularly branched, some of the branches usually as in Frullania, the others as in Badula, color often dark brown or nearly black. Leaves imbricated, complicate-bilobed, the dorsal lobe squarrose (at least when moist), ovate, rounded to apiculate or acute, entire; lobule inflated along the keel, appressed to the dorsal lobe along the crenulate or dentate margin, hyaline papilla at the proximal base of the apical tooth, displaced from the margin; leaf-cells with distinct trigones. Underleaves undivided, orbicular to reniform, entire. Antheridia in paroecious species borne singly in the axils of scarcely modified bracts, in autoecious species borne in pairs in the axils of saccate bracts, the androecia in the latter case long and often proliferating; bracteoles everywhere present. Female inflorescence borne on a more or less elongated branch, with one or commonly two subfloral innovations; bracts scarcely complicate but often winged along the keel, unequally bilobed; braeteole rounded to shortly bilobed. Perianth obovoid, sometimes compressed, with from four to ten rounded keels -without wings or teeth. [Greek, armed Lejeunea.] About 65 species, mostly tropical. Type species: B. laxifolia (Tayl.) Schiffn.