Campylium

Authority

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

Family

Campyliaceae

Scientific Name

Campylium

Type

Type. Campylium stellatum (Hedw.) C. E. O. Jensen. The name is derived from the Greek campylos, curved.

Synonyms

Campylium stellatum (Hedw.) C.E.O.Jensen

Description

Genus Description - Plants medium-sized or large; green, yellowish green or brownish. Stem almost unbranched or irregularly to irregularly pinnately branched in one plane; central strand present; hyalodermis absent; pseudoparaphyllia foliose; paraphyllia absent (outside the area sometimes present, uniseriate, narrow-triangular or ovate); rhizoids smooth (outside the area sometimes weakly warty-papillose), slightly to strongly branched, inserted at or just below costa insertion; axillary hairs with 1-4 upper hyaline cells. Stem leaves straight and erect from subsheathing erect or erect-spreading base, or with upper part ± spreading to ± squarrose, occasionally homomallous to distinctly falcate-secund (gradually curved), somewhat twisted when dry, cordate or cordate-ovate or ovate or rounded-triangular, narrowing gradually or abruptly to a short or long acumen with acuminate or long-acuminate apex, not plicate, concave or strongly so, not or hardly decurrent; acumen distinctly channeled or occasionally almost tubular; margin plane, entire or slightly sinuose; costa short and weak, double or single, extending to 40(-50)% of way up leaf; median laminal cells linear, rarely short-linear, unistratose, thin-walled or incrassate, porose or not, smooth; alar cells differentiated, the basal cells large (widest basal alar cells 17.0-29.5 µm wide), rectangular or short-rectangular (rarely quadrate), inflated and hyaline (when old sometimes brown), thin-walled, the upper cells smaller, rectangular or quadrate or sometimes transverse-rectangular; alar group distinct, (quadrate or) broadly ovate or ovate or rectangular along basal margin of leaf, reaching from leaf margin 15-60% of distance to leaf middle at insertion. Branch leaves smaller and sometimes narrower than stem leaves, often narrowing more abruptly to a longer acumen; proximal branch leaves orbicular or broadly ovate, with acute to broadly rounded apex. Dioicous (outside the area also autoicous). Perigonial leaves narrowing abruptly or gradually from broad basal part to acuminate or short-acuminate apex. Inner perichaetial leaves narrowing gradually or abruptly to a narrow acumen with narrow-acuminate apex, plicate or slightly plicate; margin bordered or not at shoulder, entire or at shoulder weakly denticulate or occasionally with single, irregular teeth; costa short and indistinct, single or double; vaginula with paraphyses. Calyptra naked. Seta long, reddish; capsule cylindrical, curved throughout or in lower half, horizontal or rarely inclined; annulus separating; operculum conical. Exostome well developed; teeth cross-striolate below, papillose above; margin dentate or slightly dentate above. Endostome well developed, with high basal membrane; segments not or narrow-perforate along midline; cilia 1-4, well developed, nodose or appendiculate. Spores (10.5-) 11.0-24.0 jum, finely papillose. [Sporophytes not known from neotropical material.]

Distribution

Campylium includes four species that are widespread mainly in the northern temperate to arctic zones. One species occurs at higher altitudes in tropical S America and is also known from Australia and New Zealand.

Australia Oceania|