Micropterygium pterygophyllum (Nees) Trevis.
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Authority
Fulford, Margaret H. 1966. Manual of the leafy Hepaticae of Latin America--Part II. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 11: 173-276.
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Family
Lepidoziaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Leafy stems of medium to large size, pale yellowish-green to brownish, complanate, ascendent from a branched rhizome, in tufts or mats; stems to 1.5-2 cm long, with leaves to 1.2 mm broad, simple or occasionally branched, sometimes becoming flagelliform at the tips, ventral flagelliform branches occasional. Rhizoids often brown, long with branched tips, in tufts on the scale-leaves of the rhizome and the fiagelliform branches. Leaves spreading subimbricate complicate, to 0.5 mm long, flattened, the keel distinct, the wing large, four to six rows of cells high, extending to near the base of the leaf, the dorsal lobe somewhat larger than the ventral, the apex usnally acute, the margins of the leaf and wing obscurely serrate and with few to many larger teeth; leaf cells of the upper part quadrate, 15-20 µ across, cells of the wing adjacent to the keel elongate, to 27 × 15 µ, the walls thickened, trigones conspicuous, the cuticle roughly verruculose. Underleaves decreasing in size to the tip of the stem, below broadly ovate and broader than the stem, above becoming very small and narrower than the stem, often 2- to 4-lobed or toothed. Plants dioicous, the short sexual branches from near the base of the leafy branches, the male branch sometimes on a fiagelliform branch. Male infiorescence robust, nearly as broad as the leafy stem, the bracts and bracteoles in five to ten series, the bracts ovate, concave, the tip 2- or 3-celled, bracteoles plane, ovate; antheridia in pairs. Female bracts and bracteoles in three series, the innermost bracts 1.0-1.5 mm long, ovate, ciliate-laciniate above. Perianth to 5 mm long, the mouth 3-lobed and ciliate-laciniate with long cilia. Pl. 59. Fig. 9, a-c.
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Discussion
Jungermannia pterygophyllum Nees p.p. in Martius, Fl. Brasil. 1(1): 377. 1833; p.p. in Martius, Icon, plant, brasil. p. 34. 1828-1834. [Quoad t. 19].
Micropterygium vulgare Nees, Lindenberg & Gottsche var. a p.p., in G. L. & N. Syn. Hep. 234. 1844. [as synonym.]
Micropterygium parvistipulum var. lancifolium Spruce p.p., Hep. Sprue.
Micropterygium martianum Stephani, Hedwigia 27: 295. 1888. [as synonym.]
Micropterygium pterygophyllum var. gracile Reimers, Hedwigia 73: 176. I. 13. 1933.
Micropterygium pterygophyllum var. lancifolium (Spruce) Reimers, Hedwigia 73: 176 f. 15, 4-6. 1933.
The species is also cited from Guadeloupe and Martinique, collected by Duss (Stephani, 1904) and from British Guiana, collected by McConnell and Quelch (Stephani, 1901-1905). Most of the plants from Guadeloupe and Martinique have low mamillae on the cells and are included under M . trachyphyllum. Plants of certain packets collected by Spruce in S. Gabriel and distributed as M . parvistipulum var. lancifolium in the Hepaticae Spruceana have very low mamillae or only convex or even plane cell walls. I have considered these plants as M . pterygophyllum while the plants of similar aspect and habit, but with mamillose projections on the leaf cells are cited under M . parvistipidum.
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Distribution
Habitat: On trees, logs, sandstone rocks, and soil, along streams and on cliffs near waterfalls in the rain forest. COLOMBIA: Amazonas—Vaupés: Rio Aliaporis, 250 m, Schultes (t Cabrera 11919, 12394 [female] (FH); Cachivera de Jirijirimo, 250 m, Schultes & Cabrera 12341, 12395, 12398 [female], 12406 (FH); nr Rio Pacoa, 250 m, Schultes & Cabrera 12433, 12533, 12543 (FH). Vaupes: Rio Kuduyari, Yapoboda, Schultes & Cabrera 14304 (FH); Rio Vaupes, Mitii, 250 m, Schultes & Cabrera 13879 [female] (F
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