Lepidozia reptans (L.) Dumort.

  • Authority

    Fulford, Margaret H. 1966. Manual of the leafy Hepaticae of Latin America--Part II. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 11: 173-276.

  • Family

    Lepidoziaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Lepidozia reptans (L.) Dumort.

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants small, in whitish to yellowish-green or dirty green mats or tufts, or scattered among other bryophytes; stems to 3 cm or more long, with leaves, 0.65 mm broad, prostrate to ascending, pinnate or bipinnate, the lateral branches frequent, short or becoming attenuate and very long flagelliform, ventral flagelliform branches not seen. Rhizoids from the scales of the tips of flagelliform branches. Line of leaf insertion oblique, the leaves incubous. Stem leaves approximate to imbricate, spreading, plane or becoming concave in the outer part, quadrate to longer than broad, to 0.54 mm long, 0.8-1.0 mm wide at the base, the dorsal base curved, the margins without teeth, quadrifid or often trifid to about one-third of their length; segments subequal, incurved or spreading, long triangular, from a 2- to 4-celled base, the apex acute and ending in one or two cells; leaf cells at the base of the segments 30-36 µ, quadrate-hexagonal, the walls thin, with tiny trigones, the lumina rounded, the cuticle smooth. Underleaves a little broader than the stem, concave, the segments erect, quadrifid to one-half their length, the segments triangular, from a 2- to 3-celled base and ending in a 1- or 2-celled tip. Branch leaves and underleaves often somewhat smaller. Plants monoicous. Male branches very short, the bracts in four to eight pairs, imbricate, concave, bilobed to one-third of their length; antheridia solitary, large, shortstalked. Female inflorescence on a short ventral branch, the bracts and bracteoles in three or four series, light green, the bracts broadly ovate, 4- or 6-dentate. Perianth whitish, cylindrical, fusiform, the mouth contracted, lobate and shortciliate, and denticulate. PI. 40. Fig. 5, a-c.

  • Discussion

    Jungermannia reptans Linnaeus, Sp. PI. 1133. 1753.

    Pleuroschisma reptans Dumortier, Syll. Jungerm. 69. 1831.

    Herpetium reptans C. G. Nees, Nat. Eur. Leberm. 3: 31. 1838.

    Lepidozia reptans var. ß australis Gottsche, Mex. Leverm. 126. 1863. (non Nees).

    Mastigophora reptans Trevisan, 1st. Lomb. Reudiconte 7: 785. 1874.

    Lepidozia liebmanniana Stephani, Spec. Hep. 3: 574. 1909; Icon. Hep., Lepidozia, No. 68/69.

    Lepidozia macropatens Herzog, Revue Bryol. Lichenol. 11: 20. f. 2. 1938.The species is widespread circumboreal in the Northern Hemisphere.

  • Distribution

    Habitat: On soil, stumps, logs, trees, and over sandstone rocks at higher elevations. HAITI: Massif de la Telle, Peconville, 1600 m, Ekman 8002 (S-PA)- Badeau 2100 m Ekman 7717 (S-FA). DOMINICA: s.l., Eggers (NY). MEXICO: Chinantla: Ceiro de Sompoaltepec, Liebmann 152 p.p., the type of L. liebmanniana (G); above Río Frio, 10,500 ft, Sharp 308 (TENN); Durango: w of El Salto, 8800 ft, Sharp 1845 (TENN). GUATEMALA : Volcán Tajumulco, San Marcos, 10,200 ft, Slmrp 5400 p.p. (TENN). Quezaltenango:

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