Calobryum andinum (Spruce) Steph.

  • Authority

    Fulford, Margaret H. 1963. Manual of the leafy Hepaticae of Latin America--Part I. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 11: 1-172.

  • Family

    Haplomitriaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Calobryum andinum (Spruce) Steph.

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants erect, tending to be more or less radially symmetric, light green, in tufts or in cushions among other bryophytes; leafy stems erect, 3-5.5 cm high, from an abundantly branched leafless rhizome; branches of the leafy stem not seen; stems in transverse section 25-30 cells across, the cells uniform, thin-walled except for the central "conducting core" six to eight cells across. Line of leaf insertion transverse to slightly oblique, the leaf sometimes decurrent to a greater or lesser degree. Leaves large, orbicular to rounded-ovate, to 2 mm long, entire or with an occasional tooth; leaf-cells large, 65-107 X 40-70µ, the marginal rows smaller, the walls thin, the trigones very minute or absent, the cuticle smooth. Underleaves ligulate to narrowly orbicular, nearly as long as the leaves. Plants dioicous. Male inflorescence terminal on the leafy stem, the bracts and bracteole similar to the leaves but larger, surrounding a flat terminal disc bearing a great number of antheridia. Female inflorescence terminal, the archegonia also numerous on a terminal disc surrounded by one or two series of bracts and bracteoles, similar to but larger than the leaves. Perianth absent. The shoot/sporophyte relationship a shoot-calyptra with unfertilized archegonia over the surface. Shoot-calyptra several layers of cells thick, fleshy, 6 mm or more long at maturity, cylindric. Sporophyte stalk 27 µ. or more long, the cylindric capsule 5 mm or more long, the wall of one layer of cells, the elaters uni- or bi-spiral with blunt ends, the spores 18 µ, striate-verruculose. Fig. 1, a-g.

  • Discussion

    Haplomitrium mnioides (Gottsche ms.) Bescherelle, Jour. Bot. Morot 7: 191. 1893. Scalia andina Spruce, Trans. Proc. Bot. Soc. Edinb. 15: 532. 1885.

  • Distribution

    Habitat: On decayed wood or over wet rocks in forests.

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