Plagiothecium drepanophyllum Renauld & Cardot

  • Authority

    Buck, William R. & Ireland, Robert R. 1989. Plagiotheciaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 50: 1-23. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Plagiotheciaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Plagiothecium drepanophyllum Renauld & Cardot

  • Type

    Type. Costa Rica. Cocos Island, 1902, Pittier s.n. (holotype, PC).

  • Synonyms

    Isopterygium integrifolium E.B.Bartram, Plagiothecium standleyi E.B.Bartram

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants medium-sized to rather robust, in complanate, mostly thin mats. Stems creeping to ca. 6 cm long, strongly complanate-foliate. Leaves widely spaced, wide-spreading, often falcate, ovate to narrowly oblong-ovate, 1.4-2.6 mm long, gradually short-acuminate, not or scarcely concave; margins plane or often erect nearly throughout, entire or more often densely and sharply serrulate at extreme apex; cells linear, mostly straight, 100-160 x (6-)8-11(-14) µm, thin- to firm-walled; alar cells few, gradually and poorly differentiated; decurrencies small but consistently present, 2(-3) cells wide, 2-5 cells long, cells rectangular, somewhat enlarged and inflated, those above mostly 1.5:1, to 40 wide, those toward base of decurrency 3-5:1, ca. 14 µm wide. Autoicous. Perichaetial leaves similar to vegetative ones but with laxer basal areolation and not decurrent. Setae 1.3-2.5 cm long, reddish, twisted; capsules usually inclined, cylindric, 1.5-2.0 mm long, smooth; exothecial cells irregularly short-rectangular, thin- to firm-walled; operculum conic; exostome teeth cross-striolate below, papillose above; endostome finely papillose, basal membrane high, segments keeled, narrowly perforate, cilia 2-3. Spores 11-14 in diam., finely papillose.

  • Discussion

    Plagiothecium drepanophyllum is the most common species of the genus in Central America. It is distinguished by its small, but consistently present leaf decurrencies. In aspect it is mostly strongly flattened with distantly spaced leaves. It has most commonly gone under the name Plagiothecium schraderi, but the type of that name has proved to be P. novogranatense.

  • Distribution

    Mexico to Costa Rica, Venezuela, Colombia, Jamaica, Dominican Republic.

    Mexico North America| Chiapas Mexico North America| Distrito Federal Mexico North America| México Mexico North America| Michoacán Mexico North America| Morelos Mexico North America| Oaxaca Mexico North America| Puebla Mexico North America| Veracruz Mexico North America| Guatemala Central America| Jalapa Guatemala Central America| Quezaltenango Guatemala Central America| Totonicapán Guatemala Central America| El Salvador Central America| Santa Ana El Salvador Central America| Costa Rica South America| Cartago Costa Rica Central America| Heredia Costa Rica Central America| Jamaica South America| Portland Jamaica South America| Saint Thomas Jamaica South America| Dominican Republic South America| La Vega Dominican Republic South America| Venezuela South America| Mérida Venezuela South America| Táchira Venezuela South America| Trujillo Venezuela South America| Antioquia Colombia South America| Cundinamarca Colombia South America|