Campylopus savannarum (Müll.Hal.) Mitt.

  • Authority

    Frahm, Jan-Peter. 1991. Dicranaceae: Campylopodioideae, Paraleucobryoideae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 54: 1-238. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Dicranaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Campylopus savannarum (Müll.Hal.) Mitt.

  • Type

    Type. Surinam. Kegel s.n. (holotype, destroyed at B; lectotype, BM; isolectotypes, H-BR, JE, L).

  • Synonyms

    Campylopus bartlettii E.B.Bartram, Campylopus schiffneri (Broth.) J.-P.Frahm, Campylopus sprucei Mitt., Campylopus tortilipilus J.-P.Frahm, Dicranum savannarum Müll.Hal., Thysanomitrion arenaceum Broth., Thysanomitrion schiffneri Broth.

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants robust, 2-5 cm high, in loose, yellowish green to dark green tufts, reddish tomentose below. Leaves 5-6 mm long, lanceolate, gradually acuminate, serrate above, either flexuose spreading when dry with a subhyaline hairpoint (mod. savannarum) or appressed foliate when dry with a hyaline hairpoint (mod. bartlettii). Costa filling about 1/2 of the leaf width, ridged at back, excurrent into a roughly serrate awn, in transverse section with ventral and dorsal stereids, the ventral stereids becoming substereidal towards the leaf base. Alar cells reddish or hyaline, inflated, rarely inconspicuous. Basal laminal cells 13-16 × 15-45 µm, short rectangular, 1.5-3:1, thickwalled, those at margins smaller and quadrate in 1-3 rows. Upper laminal cells rhombic or oval, 18-26 × 7-11 µm.

  • Discussion

    Additionally, 23 synonyms from Africa (Frahm, 1985a) and 4 from SE Asia.

    In Brazil, Campylopus savannarum is frequent in the Cerrado and caatinga vegetation. It occurs also in the Amazon lowland in "campinas" and may here be interpreted as relict of a wider extension of savannah-like vegetation during the Pleistocene.

    Campylopus savannarum rarely produces sporophytes. The main distribution in the tropics is in the lowlands, where long-distance dispersal by air currents from one continent to the other seems to be unlikely. It may be therefore interpreted as an ancient species with a continuous range in the Mesozoic, which was split by continental drift. In accord with the wide range and the broad ecological amplitude, Campylopus savannarum is variable in size, habit, presence of a hyaline or subhyaline hairpoint, the shape of the upper laminal cells, and color. It can, however, be differentiated by the band of quadrate cells along the basal leaf margin and the transverse section of the costa with ventral substereids in the lower and sterids in the upper part of the leaf.

    Campylopus bartlettii is an adaptation to drier habitats, with appressed leaves and hyaline hairpoints. It has been combined by Florschiitz as a subspecies of C. savannarum and is, indeed, different in habit and habitat. There are, however, all possible intergradations found between the type of C. bartlettii and that of C. savannarum, also in Africa and SE Asia, which makes it impossible to make any taxonomic differentiation between the taxa. Transition forms with appressed leaves (but not hyaline tipped leaves), especially, are found relatively frequently. Valued as modifications, they can, however, characterize different expressions of this species on different habitats. Campylopus sprucei is such an expression from the wettest part of the ecological range, occurring in Campina-vegetation in the Amazon lowland. It cannot be excluded that some of these expressions are more than modifications but are, rather, genetically distinct as, e.g., specimens named C. arenaceum from SE Brazil. These plants are very homogeneous in appearance, with narrower, appressed leaves but no distinct hairpoint, and are found only on sandstone.

    Campylopus tortilipilus has been described as a species because of its leaves being suddenly contracted at apex and a hairpoint, which is up to 1/3 as long as the leaf blade and conspicuously tortuose. The leaves are only up to 3 mm long and the plants to 1 cm high. However, the anatomical characters of the leaf are those of C. savannarum and the small size and long hair-points may be an extreme adaptation to a dry habitat. It is questionable whether the tortuose hairpoints are genetically distinct and have a function for protection against radiation or are merely the result of a disturbed development.

  • Objects

    Pending, H. S. Irwin 32997, Campylopus savannarum var. bartletii (E.B.Bartram) Florsch., Dicranaceae (24.0), Bryophyta; South America, Brazil, Goiás, Alto Paraíso de Goiás Mun.

  • Distribution

    A pantropical species occurring on sandy and gravelly soil, on rocks or soil-covered outcrops, at bases of trees in dry forests, in the neotropics from SE Brazil to the Guianas and also in Central America in Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico in low elevations between sea level and 1500 m.

    Mexico North America| Jalisco Mexico North America| Nayarit Mexico North America| Puebla Mexico North America| Guatemala Central America| Quezaltenango Guatemala Central America| Nicaragua Central America| Jinotega Nicaragua Central America| Costa Rica South America| Puntarenas Costa Rica Central America| Panama Central America| Colombia South America| Amazonas Colombia South America| Vaupés Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Mérida Venezuela South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Goiás Brazil South America| Mato Grosso Brazil South America| Minas Gerais Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Pernambuco Brazil South America| Piauí Brazil South America|