Bazzania falcata (Lindenb.) Trevis.

  • 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 falcata (Lindenb.) Trevis.

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants large, ochraceous yellow to dark brown, greenish in the younger portions; stems robust, to 10 cm long, with leaves to 6 mm broad, depressed to ascending; lateral branches frequent, diverging at a wide angle; flagelliform branches frequent, short, with 3 rows of large, scale-like, ovate leaves, 0.25-0.33 mm long. Leaves densely imbricate, convex, deflexed, connivent when dry, asymmetrically long-ovate, somewhat falcate, to 3.5 mm long, 2 mm broad at the base, narrowing to the mostly 0.65 mm broad, truncate, tridentate apex, the dorsal base deeply cordate, sometimes with a marginal appendage, the ventral auricle large, oblong to rounded, undulate, entire or toothed; teeth broadly triangular, acute, five to eight cells broad at the base, to six cells high, widely spreading, the margins straight to repand; leaf-cells with thickened walls, the lumina stellate, the trigones very large, with convex sides, mostly confluent with narrow pits; cells of the apical portion 18 µ in diameter, the cuticle faintly verruculose. Underleaves imbricate, subquadrate, 0.8-1 mm long from the line of attachment, the base cordate, the auricles large, undulate, rounded or toothed, the lateral margins sinuate, or short toothed, the apex undulate to 2-4-lobed or occasionally toothed. Female branches occasional, the bracts of the intermediate and innermost series similar, long-ovate, divided to one-fifth or one-sixth of their length into two or three crenulate teeth, six to ten cells long, four to six cells broad at the base, the cells 45—72 X 22 µ, with unequally thickened walls. Perianth long, the mouth laciniate, the lacunae six to twelve cells long. Male branches and sporophyte not seen. Fig. 42, a-h.

  • Discussion

    Mastigobryum falcatum Lindenberg in G. L. & N. Syn. Hep. 231. 1845. Bazzania ancistrodes Spruce, Trans. Proc. Bot. Soc. Edinb. 15: 380. 1885. Mastigobryum tocutianum Gottsche in Stephani, Hedwigia 25: 236. pl. 2. f. 18-20. 1886. Mastigobryum ancistrodes Stephani, Spec. Hep. 3: 501. 1908. Mastigobryum armatum Stephani, Spec. Hep. 3: 528. 1909. Some of the plants from South America, particularly those from Ecuador and Peru, have underleaves with scattered long teeth on the margins and more conspicuously toothed ventral auricles on the leaves. The other characteristics of these plants, especially the cell size and the very large, knot-like trigones, agree with those of M. falcatum.

  • Distribution

    Habitat. In tufts or scattered among mosses on logs and rocks, rarelv on trees, in forests.

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