Bazzania schlimiana (Gottsche) Fulford

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Lepidoziaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Bazzania schlimiana (Gottsche) Fulford

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants very large, light yellow-green, becoming light brown; stems stout, 10 cm or more long, with leaves to 6 mm broad, erect; lateral branches infrequent, 1 cm or more apart, diverging at a wide angle; flagelliform branches infrequent, long, the scale-leaves large, broader than the branch, to 0.35 mm long, ovate. Leaves always spreading, subimbricate to imbricate, asymmetrically long-ovate, a little falcate, to 4 mm long, 2 mm broad at the base, narrowing to the rather broad, transversely truncate, tridentate apex, the dorsal margin strongly curved from a deeply cordate base, the ventral base conspicuously auricled, the auricle oblong, undulate and lobed, crenulate, serrate; teeth broadly triangular, acute, five to ten cells long and five to ten cells broad at the base, the margins straight to repand; leaf-cells thin-walled, the lumina angular-rounded, the trigones small, conspicuous, often becoming confluent, the cuticle strongly verruculose; cells of the apical region averaging 22 X 22 µ. Underleaves imbricate, twice as broad as the stem, subquadrate in outline, somewhat squarrose, 0.8-1.4 mm long and wide, the base strongly cordate, the auricles large, undulate, their margins lobed, serrate and often short-ciliate, the apex and lateral margins lobed and toothed, the lobes broad and shallow, crenulate to serrate, often dentate or short-ciliate. Female branches occasional, the bracts of the intermediate and innermost series broadly ovate, divided to one-third or one-fourth of their length into usually three long, dentate to ciliate segments, the cells 72-90 X 20 µ, with thin walls. Perianth long, the mouth long-laciniate, the laciniae crenulate to ciliate, mostly twelve or more cells long. Male branches and sporophytes not seen. Fig. 41, a-g.

  • Discussion

    Mastigobryum schlimianum Gottsche, Ann. Sci. Nat. V. Bot. 1: 140. 1864. Mastigobryum asperistipulum Stephani, Spec. Hep. 6: 453. 1924. Bazzania asperistipitla Fulford, Bazzania Cent. S. Am. 125. f. 44. 1946.

  • Distribution

    Habitat: In deep tufts on stumps, logs and tree trunks.

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