Sanionia

• Authority

  Hedenäs, Lars. 2003. Amblystegiaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 89: 1--107. (Published by NYBG Press)

• Family

  Campyliaceae

• Scientific Name

  Sanionia

• Type

  Type. Sanionia uncinata (Hedw.) Loeske. The genus is named after C. G. Sanio, German botanist (1832-1891).

• Description

  Genus Description - Plants medium-sized to large; green or yellowish green. Stem pinnately branched ± in one plane, or irregularly branched to almost unbranched (the latter mainly outside the area); central strand present; outer hyalodermis present; pseudoparaphyllia foliose; paraphyllia absent; rhizoids smooth, slightly branched; rhizoids or rhizoid initials on stem at or just below leaf insertions; axillary hairs with 1-8 upper hyaline cells. Stem leaves circinate or falcate (gradually curved) or almost straight from erect or erect-patent base, lanceolate from rounded-triangular or ovate base, plicate, rarely smooth, concave, not or hardly decurrent; apex long- to very long-acuminate; margin ± plane (outside the area sometimes partially distinctly recurved or incurved), denticulate to finely denticulate above (outside the area sometimes more strongly denticulate), finely denticulate or entire below; costa single, ending in acumen; median laminal cells linear, unistratose, thin-walled or incrassate, not or slightly porose, smooth or sometimes with prorate distal ends on abaxial side in some upper leaf cells; differentiated alar cells few or numerous, short- to long-rectangular, hyaline, thin-walled and inflated; alar group transverse-triangular (outside the area ± isodiametric). Branch leaves smaller than stem leaves; proximal branch leaves broadly lanceolate to broad and apiculate. Autoicous. Perigonia below the perichaetia; perigonial leaves narrowing abruptly from broad basal part to acute to long-acuminate apex. Inner perichaetial leaves narrowing gradually to very long-acuminate apex (outside the area apex sometimes short-acuminate), plicate; margin unbordered, denticulate or dentate above; costa single and usually ending in acumen; scattered laminal cells in acumen sometimes with prorate distal ends; vaginula with paraphyses. Calyptra naked. Seta long, red; capsule cylindrical or short-cylindrical, curved and ± horizontal (outside the area sometimes straight and erect or almost so); annulus separating; operculum conical. Exostome well developed (outside the area sometimes specialized); teeth cross-striolate on outer surface below; margin dentate above. Endostome well developed (outside the area sometimes reduced), with high basal membrane; segments not or narrow-perforate along midline; cilia 1-3, well developed, nodose. Spores 10.5-17.5 µm (outside the area to 21.0 µm), finely papillose.

• Distribution

  Sanionia includes at least four species, and the genus is represented in temperate to arctic areas of both hemispheres. One species occurs in mountains of many tropical and subtropical areas, including the neotropical area.