Fissidens oblongifolius Hook.f. & Wilson

  • Authority

    Pursell, Ronald A. 2007. Fissidentaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 101 (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Fissidentaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Fissidens oblongifolius Hook.f. & Wilson

  • Type

    Type. New Zealand. Antarctic Expedition 1839-43, J. D. Hooker 321b (lectotype, BM, designated by Iwatsuki and Suzuki, 1988). Stone (1990) erroneously called this specimen the holotype.

  • Synonyms

    Fissidens campylopus Mont., Fissidens similiretis Sull., Fissidens firmiusculus Besch., Conomitrium firmiusculum Besch., Fissidens helleri Renauld & Cardot

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants light to dark green, often sordid brown proximally. Stems monomorphic, to 12 mm [1.2 cm] long x to 3 mm wide, unbranched and branched; rhizoids basal, smooth, reddish; axillary hyaline nodules absent; epidermis and 2-3 tiers of outer cortical cells small, incrassate, pigmented; inner cortical cells larger, thin-walled, hyaline; central strand present. Leaves inrolled from tips, ± crispate when dry, tightly imbricate, as many as 30 pairs, narrowly lanceolate, acute, to 2.7 mm long x 0.4 mm wide, perichaetial leaves often longest, proximal ones often small, scale-like, usually lacking dorsal lamina; margin crenulate-serrulate, elimbate; costa ending 3-8 cells below leaf apex, oblongifolius type, distal part in transverse section showing 2 stereid bands separated by 4-7 enlarged cells arranged in 2 rows; dorsal lamina ending well above insertion or at insertion, not decurrent; vaginant laminae of cauline leaves 1/2-2/3 leaf length, acute, slightly unequal, minor lamina usually ending near margin; laminal cells distinct, eguttulate, unistratose, firm-walled, lenticularly thickened in dorsal and ventral laminae, irregularly quadrate, 8-13 µm, plane or slightly bulging in vaginant laminae, justacostal cells in distal parts of vaginant laminae somewhat larger, oblong, often elongate, to 56 µm in perichaetial leaves. Monoicous (gonioautoicous and rhizautoicous); perigonia gemmiform, axillary or parigonia and perichaetia terminal on elongate stems. Sporophytes 1 per perichaetium, yellow, darkening with age; seta smooth, to 8 mm long; theca exserted, ± arcuate, bilaterally symmetric, to 0.8 mm long, stomatose, exothecial cells quadrate to oblong, ± collenchymatous, vertical walls usually somewhat thicker than horizontal walls; peristome similiretis type; operculum conic, long-rostrate, to 0.8 mm long. Spores smooth, 11.0-13.5 µm diam. Calyptra not seen. n= 12 (as Fissidens mangarevensis, Fritsch, 1991).

  • Discussion

    Synonyms from outside the area of this study (Bruggeman-Nannenga et al., 1994): Fissidens acutus A. Jaeger, Fissidens arboreus Broth., Fissidens arcuatus Besch., Fissidens arcuatus var. longisetus Thér., Fissidens humicola Thér., Fissidens hyophilus Mitt, var. hyophilus, Fissidens kriegeri Schimp. ex Besch., Fissidens mangarevensis Mont., Fissidens mangarevensis var. tahitense Besch., Fissidens neocaledonicus Besch., Fissidens oblongifolius var. capitatus Hook. f. & Wilson, Fissidens paucifolius Besch. (non Fissidens paucifolius Müll. Hal.), Fissidens peracuminatus Dixon, Fissidens renauldii Thér., Fissidens rigidifolius Thér., Fissidens samoanus Müll. Hal., Fissidens subarboreus Broth.& P. de la Varde, Fissidens truncorus Besch. ex Z. Iwats., Fissidens woolsianus Mlill. Hal., and Fissidens zuernianus Müll. Hal.

    Fissidens oblongifolius, sometimes confused with F. asplenioides, is distinguished by its smaller size and vaginant laminae that are slightly unequal and which lack a limbidium as well as elongate, obliquely oriented median marginal cells. The enlarged cells in the distal part of the costa, as seen in transverse section, are arranged in 2 rows rather than in a single row as in F. asplenioides. Collections from Suriname that Florschütz (1964) regarded as F. asplenioides belong in F. oblongifolius.

  • Distribution

    Mexico (Veracruz); Central America (Belize); West Indies (Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Puerto Rico); South America (Brazil, Chile, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela); on soil, rocks, tree trunks, and decaying wood; near sea level-750 m. The species also occurs in Asia, Malesia, southwest Pacific Ocean region, and Australasia.

    Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni French Guiana South America| Upper Demerara-Berbice Guyana South America| Veracruz Mexico North America| Toledo Belize Central America| Piñar del Río Cuba South America| Sancti Spíritus Cuba South America| Santiago de Cuba Cuba South America| Villa Clara Cuba South America| Jamaica South America| Distrito Nacional Dominican Republic South America| Samaná Dominican Republic South America| Puerto Rico South America| Nueva Esparta Venezuela South America| Mazaruni-Potaro Guyana South America| Suriname South America| Cayenne French Guiana South America| Brazil South America| Biobío Chile South America| La Araucania Chile South America| Los Lagos Chile South America| Maule Chile South America| Dominica South America| Guadeloupe South America|