Mastigolejeunea plicatiflora (Spruce) Steph.
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Authority
Gradstein, S. Robbert. 1994. Lejeuneaceae: Ptychantheae, Brachiolejeuneae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 62: 216. (Published by NYBG Press)
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Family
Lejeuneaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type. Venezuela. Amazonas: San Carlos del Río Negro, "ad arbores," Spruce, Hepaticae Amazonicae et Andinae 1543 (lectotype, MANCH 15909, here designated; isolectotypes, BM, G, W).
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Synonyms
Lejeunea plicatiflora Spruce
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Description
Species Description - Dioicous. Plants up to 3 cm long × 2 mm wide, usually brown, not black, creeping in mats. Stems 0.15-0.2 mm in diam., in cross section composed of 15-22 epidermal cells surrounding 30-40 medullary cells; ventral merophyte 5-6 cell rows wide. Leaves when moist weakly convex, dorsal lobe oblong, 1-1.3 × 0.5-0.7 mm, 1.7-2× longer than wide, apex rounded, plane, ventral margin usually plane, rarely slightly upcurved, forming a wide angle with the keel; leaf cells as in M. auriculata; oil bodies not observed. Lobules ca. l/5-l/3× lobe length, ovate-subrectangular, free margin plane, angled near the short (1-2 cells long) apical tooth, apex truncate or oblique, not or short continuing into the ventral leaf margin. Underleaves plane, broadly obdeltoid, ca. 0.5 mm long × 0.55-0.7 mm wide, 3-4× stem width, apex plane or recurved, bases slightly auriculate. Androecia as in Mastigolejeunea auriculata. Gynoecia with one subfloral innovation, innovations often repeatedly fertile with gynoecia in seriate arrangement, bracts in one series, erect, lobe narrow oblong, 1.3-1.7 mm long × 0.5-0.7 mm wide, apex rounded, lobule l/2-3/4× lobe length, on average 3x longer than wide, apex rounded; bracteole about as long as the bracts, oblong, apex truncate. Perianths immersed or emergent to 1/3, up to 1.5 mm long, obovate to cylindrical, inflated, with a swollen, rounded, high ventral keel which tends to split into 2-3 folds, the ventral and dorsal surface of the perianth in addition often with 1-3 small subsidiary keels above, keels smooth; beak short, 2-3 cells long. Sporophyte as in the genus.
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Discussion
Mastigolejeunea plicatiflora grows on bark in the canopy and understory of periodically inundated rain forest or upland forest (igapo, terra firme, caatinga, Campina forest). The species seems to be largely restricted to virgin forest and lacks in deforested areas.
Mastigolejeunea plicatiflora has often been confused with M. auriculata. The two species are indeed rather similar morphologically although their habitats and ranges are quite distinct (see Fig. 22). Morphological differences include the rather flat underleaves and leaves with plane margins of M. plicatiflora, the more elongated leaves of the latter (1.5-2× longer than wide), and its perianth which has a swollen ventral keel with subsidiary folds. Furthermore, M. plicatiflora seems to be always dioicous, has rather small lobules (usually not more than l/4× leaf length) and, characteristically, is brownish in color, not black. Except for the perianth, the morphological differences between the two species are not very sharp and some overlap has been found. -
Objects
Illustrations: Stephani, Icones Hepaticarum Jard. Bot. Geneve, Zug 1985: nr. 7405.
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Distribution
Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Guianas (inland regions); from sea level up to 700 m. Mastigolejeunea plicatiflora is a common species of the evergreen lowland rain forests of the Amazon and Orinoco basins and the inland regions of the Guianas; it has also been found in the lowland rain forests of Bahia and northern Colombia. It apparently replaces M. auriculata which is virtually lacking in these rain forest areas.
Colombia South America| Magdalena Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Amazonas Venezuela South America| Apure Venezuela South America| Barinas Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Brazil South America| Acre Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Bahia Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Roraima Brazil South America|