Herbertus acanthelius Spruce

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Herbertaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Herbertus acanthelius Spruce

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants of medium size, dark brown to blackish, in tufts; stems stout, to 15 cm long, with leaves 2—3 mm wide (when dry), rarely branched. Line of leaf insertion transverse. Leaves irregularly spreading, the bases imbricate, strongly asymmetric, falcate, 3-4 mm long, to 16 mm wide at the base, unequally bifid to one-half of their length; segments broadly triangular, tapering to an acuminate, 3-8-celled apex, the cells quadrate in outline, the dorsal segment broad, the vitta about one-fourth the width of the base of the segment, ending well below the apex, the ventral segment smaller, decurved; lamina broadly ovate, the dorsal margin strongly convex, long-ciliate in the lower half, the vitta bifurcate a little below the sinus; leaf-cells with rounded trigones and intermediate thickenings separated by thin-walled pits, the cuticle rough. Underleaves as long as the leaves, symmetric, the vitta, apices and cells as in the leaf. Plants dioicous. Female bracts and bracteoles in four to six series, the innermost series large with deep folds, the margins of the lamina ciliate, the numerous multicellular cilia decurved, the segments broadly triangular, long-pointed, the margins ciliate and serrate. Perianth (immature) deeply 3-parted, the divisions bilobed; segments long-tapering from a very broad base, the margins ciliate and serrate, the slime papillae numerous. Male inflorescence and sporophyte not seen. Fig. 5, a-k.

  • Discussion

    Schisma acanthelium (Spruce) Stephani, Spec. Hep. 4: 11. 1909. Schisma lechleri Stephani, Spec. Hep. 4: 12. 1909. Schisma granatense Stephani, Spec. Hep. 4: 14. 1909. Schisma boliviense Stephani, Spec. Hep. 6: 358. 1922. Herberta boliviensis (Stephani) Herzog, Repert. Sp. Nov. 58: 68. 1955. Herberta inaequalis Herzog, Sv. Bot. Tidskr. 46: 81. f. 14. 1952. The report in the literature from Costa Rica (Stephani, 1893a), probably refers to H. limbata. This species is readily recognized by its large, asymmetric leaves, with uniseriate tips of three to eight quadrate cells.

  • Distribution

    Habitat: On trees, mountain forests.

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