Leskeodon cubensis (Mitt.) Thér.
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Authority
Buck, William R. 1998. Pleurocarpous mosses of the West Indies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 82: 1-400.
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Family
Daltoniaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Plants small, in lustrous, usually pale-green, sometimes yellowish, usually small, lax patches. Stems suberect, to ca. 1 cm long, usually not branched, fragile; in cross-section with ca. 2 rows of colored, medium-sized, very thick-walled cells surrounding a few slightly larger but otherwise similar cells, central strand none; axillary hairs with a single shortish brown basal cell and 2-3 elongate hyaline distal cells. Leaves somewhat contorted to ± twisted when dry, lateral leaves wide-spreading, obovate to oblong-obovate, 1.1-2.1 mm long (excluding hairpoint); dorsal leaves erect, ovate to obovate, 0.85-1.2 mm long (excluding hairpoint), gradually acute to broadly rounded, abruptly apiculate to piliferous; margins bordered by 1-2 rows of narrow, elongate cells, merging to form a short to long point, 0.1-0.6 mm long, often glistening in dry plants, distinct below, entire, plane; costa single, slender, ending 1/2-2/3, the leaf length; upper cells ± regularly hexagonal, 1:1, 15-28 µm diam., thin-walled or rarely somewhat firm-walled, collenchymatous, often becoming narrower toward the margins and somewhat larger and longer toward the insertion, to 2:1. Asexual propagula not seen. Autoicous or synoicous (or rarely dioicous?). Perichaetia small, inconspicuous; leaves few, pale, erect, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, 0.4-0.9 mm long (including apex), gradually acuminate; margins bordered by 1 (-2) rows of elongate cells, merging to form a short to moderately long apiculus, subentire, plane; costa none or slender, obscure, ending below midleaf; cells similar to those of vegetative leaves or somewhat more elongate, to 2:1 above, 4:1 below. Setae elongate, smooth throughout, reddish, 3-5.5 mm long; capsules erect, short-cylindric with a well-developed neck, 0.6-1.1 mm long; exothecial cells subquadrate, thin- to firm-walled, collenchymatous; annulus none; operculum conic-rostrate; exostome teeth pale, recurved when dry, bordered, finely papillose-spiculose throughout, on the front surface with a zig-zag median line, the spicules arranged in horizontal rows below (± cross-striolate), evenly so above, slightly trabeculate at back; endostome with a very low basal membrane, segments pale, spiculose throughout, keeled, not perforate, shorter than the teeth, cilia none. Spores spherical, finely papillose, 8-12 µm diam. Calyptrae mitrate, covering only the operculum and apex of urn, fimbriate at base, naked or with a few scattered ramenta, smooth or obscurely roughened above.
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Discussion
Distichophyllum elongatum Mitt., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 12: 395. 1869. Distichophyllum pungens Mitt., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 12: 394. 1869; Leskeodon pungens (Mitt.) Broth, in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 1(3): 926. 1907. Distichophyllum longipilum Besch., J. Bot. (Morot) 16: 8. 1902; Leskeodon longipilus (Besch.) E. B. Bar-tram, Bull. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), Bot. 2(2): 45. 1955. Discussion. Leskeodon cubensis is characterized by oblong-obovate leaves with a narrow border, often forming a long hairpoint, and regularly hexagonal upper leaf cells that are relatively large and collenchymatous. The length of the apex has been used to separate two species: short indicating L. cubensis; long, L. longipilus. However, the length of the hairpoint is quite variable, even on a single plant, and no other character seems to correlate with it. Also, the similarities between the two forms is so striking, in the large, lax areolation and narrow border, that one is reluctant to recognize species based solely on hairpoint length. This is especially true since so many other species with hairpoints (e.g., Campylopus introflexus) are allowed substantial variation. The large leaf cell size will separate L. cubensis from any other Antillean Leskeodon. From L. auratus the narrower border and angular leaf cells are diagnostic; from L. andícola the contorted leaves, ± homogeneous areolation, and larger cells will serve as separatae.
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Distribution
Range. Mexico to Panama, Trinidad, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia; Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Dominican Republic, Haiti), Puerto Rico, St. Kitts, Guadeloupe. Dominica, Martinique, St. Vincent, Grenada; usually growing on tree trunks or rotten logs, rarely rocks, in humid forests, at ca. 1000 m.
Mexico North America| Central America| Trinidad and Tobago South America| Colombia South America| Peru South America| Bolivia South America| Cuba South America| Jamaica South America| Dominican Republic South America| Haiti South America| Puerto Rico South America| Saint Kitts and Nevis South America| Guadeloupe South America| Dominica South America| Martinique South America| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines South America| Grenada South America|