Telaranea sejuncta (Ångstr.) S.W.Arnell

  • 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

    Telaranea sejuncta (Ångstr.) S.W.Arnell

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants small, filamentous, in light green to whitish patches; leafy stems slender, filiform, ascending, 2-1 cm long, pinnate to bipinnate, the lateral branches short or long, very close to distant, rarely becoming flagelliform, the half-leaf subulate or bifid, the ventral branches long, leafy or flagelliform, or short, sexual; stem in transverse section with a unistratose cortex of six to twelve large cells surrounding the medulla of numerous smaller cells. Rhizoids short, from small cells at the base of the underleaf or from the base of a flagelliform branch. Line of leaf insertion transverse. Stem leaves delicate, spreading, of two, three or four approximately equal, long filamentous segments, four to six cells long, or each segment from a 2-celled base, the bases joined for about half their length and forming a lamina four, six, or eight cells across and half a cell high; cells of the segments just above the base 75-100 µ or more long, the cells of the upper part 60-80 µ long, the walls thin, the cuticle smooth. Stem underleaves variable, smaller than the leaves, bifid, trifid when the leaves are trifid, etc.), the segments of two to four, rarely more, elongate cells from a base of four or more small cells bearing rhizoids. Branch leaves with one less segment, branch underleaves often very small and only two cells broad at the base and two cells long. Plants dioicous and autoicous (Miiller, 1956). Male inflorescence terminal on the stem or lateral branch, the bracteoles in five to many series, the monandrous bracts similar to the leaves, the bracteoles similar to the branch underleaves; antheridia large, spherical, the stalk of one row of cells. Female inflorescence on a very short ventral sexual branch, occasionally terminal on the stem or leafy branch, the bracts and bracteoles similar, in three or four series, large, quadrate to rectangular in outline, divided to one-half of their length or less, into usually four laciniate laciniae with occasional marginal spines, the cells 90-120 µ long, thin-walled. Perianth to 1.7 mm long, fusiform with three rounded keels above, contracted, the mouth of to 12 laciniae terminated by long, unbranched cilia, the cells long as in the bracts and bracteoles. Capsule dark brown, long ovoid, the wall of three layers of cells, the brown thickenings appearing as knots along the radial walls of the outer surface, and as bands or partial bands on the inner tangential wall; seta in transverse section of eight (to twelve) very large outer cells surrounding 16 to 24 smaller, thin-walled cells; foot inverted cone-shaped; elaters long, reddish browm, bispiral; spores brown, 14-16 p, finely punctate. Pl. 52. Fig. 1, a-j.

  • Discussion

    Blepharostoma sejuncta Angstrom, Ofvers. Vet.-akad. Forhandl. 33 (7): 78. 1876.

    Jungermannia nematodes Gottsche, Hep. Cub. Wright. Nomen nudum.

    Cephalozia nematodes Austin, Bull. Torrey Club 6: 302. 1879.

    Lepidozia bicruris Stephani, Hedwigia 24: 166. t. 3. 1885.

    Lepidozia chaetophylla Spruce, Trans. Proc. Bot. Soc. Edinb. 15: 362, 365. 1885.

    Telaranea chaetophylla (Spruce) Spruce, Trans. Proc. Bot. Soc. Edinb. 15: 365. 1885.

    Lepidozia nematodes (Austin) Spruce, Trans. Proc. Bot. Soc. Edinb. 15: 366. 1885.

    Lepidozia chaetophylla var. tenuis Pearson, Christiania Videnskaps.-Selskabs Forhandl. 18863: 7. 1886.

    Blepharostoma antillarum Bescherelle & Spruce, Bull. Soc. Bot. France 36: 183. 1889.

    Blepharostoma nematodes (Austin) Underwood. Bull. Torrey Club 23: 383. 1896. [footnote]

    Telaranea nematodes antillarum (Bescherelle & Spruce) Howe, Bull. Torrey Club 29: 284. 1902.

    Telaranea nematodes (Austin) Howe, Bull. Torrey Club 29: 284. 1902.

    Telaranea nematodes longifolia Howe, Bull. Torrey Club 29: 286. 1902.

    Telaranea bicruris (Stephani), Howe, Bull. Torrey Club 29: 287. 1902.

    Lepidozia sejuncta (Angstrom) Stephani, Spec. Hep. 3: 563. 1909.

    The species is widespread throughout tropical and warm temperate America, extending northward along the coast of the United States to Long Island, eastward to the west coast of Ireland, West Pyrenees, the Azores and into tropical and South Africa.

  • Distribution

    Habitat: Decaying logs, humus, tree bases, and soil, or over other bryophytes, in swamps and moist forests. PUERTO RICO: Sierra de Luquillo, Steere 5169 (MICH). GUADELOUPE: Le Gommier, Ed. .Marie 5125, isotype of B. antillarum (G, NY). DOMINICA: Morne Micotrin, Elliott 1139d, II40 p.p., 1143c p.p. (BM): Hampstead Valley, Elliott 1328a p.p. (BM); Grand Soufrière, Elliott 1843a p.p. (BM); Morne Trois Pitons, Elliott 2285 p.p. (BM). MEXICO: w of Huauchinango, Sharp 883 p.p. (TENN). GUATEMALA : Chi

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