Campylopus trachyblepharon (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 trachyblepharon (Müll.Hal.) Mitt.

  • Type

    Type. Brazil. Beyrich s.n. (holotype, destroyed at B; lectotype, NY).

  • Synonyms

    Campylopus arenicola (Müll.Hal.) Mitt., Campylopus bermudianus R.S.Williams, Campylopus detonsus (Hampe) Paris, Campylopus schwaegrichenii Duby, Campylopus subarenicola Müll.Hal. ex Broth., Campylopus villicaulis (Hampe) A.Jaeger, Dicranum trachyblepharon Müll.Hal., Dicranum arenicola Müll.Hal., Dicranum detonsum Hampe, Dicranum villicaule Hampe

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants in dark green loose tufts, lighter at tips, to 7(-16) cm high. Stems tomentose below, sev- eral times interruptedly foliate, ending in a comose tip. Leaves 6-7 mm long, serrate in the upper third, narrowed into a serrate point. Costa taking 1/3 of the leaf base, ending in the leaf tip or shortly excurrent, in transverse section with ventral and dorsal stereids, lamellose at back in the upper part of the leaf with lamellae 2-3 cells high. Alar cells large, hyaline or brownish. Basal laminal cells incrassate, elongate rectangular, 10-13 × 12-32 µm, subquadrate at margins. Upper laminal cells incrassate, subquadrate, 6-16 × 1319 µm, reaching nearly the apex. Seta to 1 cm long, light to dark brown. Capsule asymmetric, furrowed when empty, light brown, dark brown in age. Operculum obliquely and longly rostrate, darker as the capsule. Calyptra ciliate at base.

  • Discussion

    The localities in the Guianas and Bermuda are very isolated from the main range in SE Brazil. The specimens are not as well developed and especially do not show the verticillate foliation as distinctly as in SE Brazil and, as shown by the occurrence in Bermuda, the records seem not to be persistent. Thus these northern records may be caused by spore or fragment dispersal by birds along migration routes.

    Young unproliferated plants have been described as Campylopus arenicola. They were placed into synonymy with C. surinamensis, which occurs on similar habitats on bare sandy soil. C. trachyblepharon is, however, distinguished by quadrate upper laminal cells, a lamellose costa and the lack of an excurrent subhyaline point in the comal leaves. In the field, all possible intergradations can be found between such small forms on open places and tall forms up to 10 cm high under restinga bushes.

    Campylopus trachyblepharon occurs also in E Africa, also in coastal areas on sand and at the same latitude, as a closely related, geographical vicariant subspecies comatus (Renauld & Cardot) J.-P. Frahm. This subspecies differs only by ventral hyalocysts in transverse section of the costa and shorter dorsal lamellae.

  • Distribution

    On bare open wet sand on coastal areas near sea level, very frequent in restingas of SE Brazil, rarely along the Brazilian coast to the Guianas and collected in one locality on Bermuda between 1908 and 1916.

    Guyana South America| East Demerara Guyana South America| Demerara-Mahaica Guyana South America| Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Espirito Santo Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America| Santa Catarina Brazil South America| São Paulo Brazil South America|