Crossomitrium patrisiae (Brid.) Müll.Hal.
-
Authority
Buck, William R. 1998. Pleurocarpous mosses of the West Indies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 82: 1-400.
-
Family
Pilotrichaceae
-
Scientific Name
-
Description
Species Description - Plants medium-sized, in lustrous, loosely adnate, bright-green to golden-brown, often dense mats. Stems creeping, to 8 cm long, little-branched, the young branches sometimes ± dimorphic, ± complanate-foliate, especially when moist; in cross-section with (0-)1(-2) rows of medium-sized firm-walled cells surrounding large thin-walled cells, central strand none; axillary hairs 2-celled, with a short brown basal cell and an elongate hyaline apical one. Leaves ± contorted when dry, often falcate, ± straight when dry, lateral leaves wide-spreading to squarrose, oblong-lanceolate to broadly oblong-ovate, 0.85-2.1 mm long, asymmetric, dorsal leaves erect to erect-spreading, broadly oblong-ovate to suborbicular, 0.7-1.7 mm long, ± symmetric, all mucronate to gradually or abruptly short-acuminate, the apex often carinate, ending in a single cell, plane or slightly concave, rounded to a narrow insertion; margins serrulate almost to base, with occasional papillae above or not, the teeth mostly only at cell ends, sometimes bifid, usually single and bifid on a single leaf, the teeth sometimes strongly projecting, plane; costa none; cells long-rhomboidal to linear, ± broad, 8.5-14 µm wide, smooth, thin-walled, usually not shorter in the apex, broader and thicker-walled toward the insertion, concolorous; alar cells not differentiated. Asexual propagula common in pads on bases of leaves, especially lateral leaves, and on rhizoids, uniseriate, simple or stellate-branched, brown when mature, smooth or lightly roughened. Dioicous. Perichaetia small, inconspicuous, along stems; leaves few, 2-5/perichaetium, pale, ± erect, 0.45-0.85 mm long, acuminate; margins serrulate above, subentire below, plane; costa none; cells long-rhomboidal to linear, smooth, thin-walled, often shorter in the extreme apex, broader toward the insertion. Setae elongate, roughened above, smooth below, reddish, 6-12 mm long, curved; capsules suberect to pendent, short-cylindric, 0.5-1.75 mm long, symmetric; exothecial cells subquadrate, thin-walled, collenchymatous; annulus none; operculum conic-rostrate; exostome teeth pale, bordered, not shouldered, papillose throughout, scarcely or not trabeculate at back; endostome pale, papillose throughout, with a low to medium-high, often irregular basal membrane, segments narrow, keeled, narrowly perforate, with baffle-like crosswalls, ca. as long as the teeth, cilia rudimentary. Spores spherical, papillose, 13-20 µm diam. Calyptrae mitrate, erose and fringed at base, with uniseriate, brown hairs, naked, smooth.
-
Discussion
2. Crossomitrium patrisiae (Brid.) Miill. Hal., Linnaea 38: 612. 1874; Hypnum patrisiae Brid., Bryol. Univ. 2: 539. 1827; Hookeria patrisiae (Brid.) Hampe, Icon. Musc. pl. 1. 1844; Lepidopilum patrisiae (Brid.) Mitt., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 12: 369. 1869. Lepidopilum herminieri Schimp. ex Besch., Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot. VI, 3: 228. 1876; Crossomitrium herminieri (Besch.) A. Jaeger, Ber. Thätigk. St. Gallischen Naturwiss. Ges. 1875-76: 337. 1877. Lepidopilum subepiphyllum Besch., Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot. VI, 3: 228. 1876; Crossomitrium subepiphyllum (Besch.) A. Jaeger, Ber. Thätigk. St. Gallischen Naturwiss. Ges. 1875-76: 337. 1877. Crossomitrium sintenisii Müll. Hal., Hedwigia 37: 244. 1898. Crossomitrium jamaicense Müll. Hal., Hedwigia 37: 245. 1898. Discussion. Crossomitrium patrisiae has leaves usually raised above the substrate, sometimes falcate. The leaf apex is often carinate and ends in a single cell. The upper margins are not or scarcely papillose and the teeth are usually mixed, single and bifid. The laminal cells are relatively broad. I take a somewhat broad view of this common species. Attempts at recognition of more species seems useless. Names are available for most forms, even those occurring at different ends of a single stem. Although C. sintenisii has been used for laxly foliate, mostly falcate-leaved plants and C. subepiphyllum for densely foliate, scarcely falcate-leaved plants, the types are actually just the opposite. The types of C. patrisiae and C. jamaicense also are the lax, falcate form. Whether or not the leaves are more gradually acuminate and falcate (and raised higher from the substrate) seems to be a function of environment. One collection, though, was seen with both forms. The lax, falcate morph seems to be associated with more exposed habitats. This is evidenced by their tendency to be more golden-brown. Shade forms are more densely foliate, scarcely falcate, and more closely appressed to the substrate. Numerous intermediates can be found. Allen (1990) recognized C. sintenisii as an independent species. However, from West Indian material I examined I was unable to consistently separate it from C. patrisiae. Indeed, even Allen (1990: 10) stated: “Some collections of C. sintenisii, however, grade closely into the jamaicense-expression of C. patrisiae, and in fact on the island of Hispaniola the two are virtually inseparable.” This seems particularly distressing in light of the fact that he put C. patrisiae and C. sintenisii in different sections of the genus (sect. Crossomitrium = sect. Phyllophila for C. patrisiae and sect. Cormophila for C. sintenisii). Allen stressed morphology of brood branches and propagular position, characters not evaluated here.
-
Distribution
Range. Mexico to Panama, Colombia and Venezuela to Bolivia, the Guianas, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago; Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic), Puerto Rico. Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique; typically growing on leaves, sometimes twigs, old wood, or humus, in very humid forests, usually below 1000 m.
Mexico North America| Central America| Ecuador South America| Venezuela South America| Colombia South America| Peru South America| Brazil South America| Guyana South America| French Guiana South America| Suriname South America| Bolivia South America| Trinidad and Tobago South America| Cuba South America| Jamaica South America| Haiti South America| Dominican Republic South America| Puerto Rico South America| Guadeloupe South America| Dominica South America| Martinique South America|