Thamnobryum tumidicaule (K.A.Wagner) F.D.Bowers
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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
Neckeraceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Plants medium-sized, often slender, stipitate-frondose, in slightly lustrous, dark- to yellow-green, often lax colonies. Primary stems creeping, secondary stems arising from upturning primary stem, the creeping stem continuing by innovations near the base of the stipe, the secondary stems distinctly stipitate, 3-8 cm tall, erect to pendent, sparsely irregularly pinnate, ± complanate-foliate; in cross-section with 3-6 rows of small thick-walled cells surrounding larger firm-walled cells, central strand small, of small thin-walled cells; paraphyllia absent; pseudoparaphyllia small-foliose; axillary hairs with 1-2 short brown basal cells and 2-3 elongate hyaline distal cells. Primary creeping stem leaves not seen. Stipe leaves erect-spreading to spreading, not complanate, triangular, 0.85-1 mm long, broadly and gradually acuminate, ± concave, not or scarcely decurrent; margins subentire throughout or serrulate at extreme apex, mostly narrowly recurved below; costa single, ending 1/2-7/8 the leaf length; cells long-hexagonal, 3-6:1, smooth, thin- to firm-walled, not porose, becoming shorter in the acumen and more rectangular toward the insertion; alar cells subquadrate in small groups in basal comers, extending up the margins by 3-6(-8) cells and in 3-5 rows. Secondary stem (continuation of stipe above branching) and branch leaves similar but branch leaves smaller, ± complanate, spreading to wide-spreading, oblong-ovate, 2-2.4(-3) mm long, acute to short-acuminate, concave, not plicate, not decurrent; margins serrate above, the teeth 1-3-celled, serrulate below, mostly plane, occasionally narrowly recurved below on one or both sides; costa single, strong, ending ca. 9/10 the leaf length to subpercurrent, often ± flexuose or forked at apex; cells hexagonal at midleaf, (1-)3-4:1, smooth, thin- to firm-walled, not slightly porose, in upper ca. 1/5 of leaf the cells becoming shorter, 1:1, mostly rhomboidal, becoming long-rectangular, 6-12:1, and thick-walled toward the insertion; alar cells obscurely differentiated, short-rectangular, with 4-5 cells extending up the margins and in 4-6 rows. Asexual propagula not seen. Dioicous. Perichaetial leaves (only seen in unfertilized perichaetia) ± spreading, broadly long-acuminate from a short oblong-ovate base, ca. 1.2 mm long, the base <1/2 the leaf length; margins mostly serrate to serrulate in the extreme apex, subentire below, plane;costa single, ending at base of acumen; cells linear-rectangular above, ca. 20:1, smooth, thick-walled and porose in the acumen, short-rectangular, ca. 4:1, broad (ca. 15 µm) and thicker-walled in the base. Sporophytes unknown.
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Discussion
2. Thamnobryum tumidicaule (K. A. Wagner) F. D. Bowers, Bryologist 77: 162. 1974; Thamnium tumidicaule K. A. Wagner, Bryologist 55: 145. 1952. Plate 46, figures 12-20 Discussion. Thamnobryum tumidicaule is tentatively assigned to this genus because its sporophytes are unknown. However, its gametophytic features strongly suggest inclusion here. These characters include stems with a central strand, leaves with a very strong costa, and short upper laminal cells. The species may be separated from T. fasciculatum by its overall smaller plants and smaller leaves of all kinds, nonplicate leaves with a sharper apex, and apical cells mostly rhomboidal rather than hexagonal. Menzel (1986) reported this species from Peru. I have not seen the specimen upon which the report is based, but suspect that if it is correctly named to genus then it is more probably T. fasciculatum.
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Distribution
Range. Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama; Jamaica, reported from Puerto Rico by Sastre-De Jesus (1995); growing on rocks, or rarely tree trunks, in humid habitats, mostly at 600-1200 m.
Mexico North America| Guatemala Central America| Honduras Central America| Costa Rica South America| Panama Central America| Jamaica South America| Puerto Rico South America|