Phyllogonium fulgens (Hedw.) Brid.

  • Authority

    Buck, William R. 1998. Pleurocarpous mosses of the West Indies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 82: 1-400.

  • Family

    Phyllogoniaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Phyllogonium fulgens (Hedw.) Brid.

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants medium-sized to somewhat robust, secondary stems to 50 cm long, in ± lustrous, green to yellowish, pendent, often extensive, epiphytic colonies. Primary stems creeping, tightly attached to the substrate, with reduced, scale-like leaves, turning ca. 90° and becoming the pendent secondary stem, the creeping stem continuing by a bud from near the base of the secondary stem, secondary stems irregularly branched, the branches to ca. 8 cm long but typically shorter, pendent, complanate-foliate, often somewhat turgid; in cross-section with 3-4 rows of small thick-walled cells surrounding larger thinner-walled cells, central strand none; paraphyllia none; pseudoparaphyllia broadly foliose; axillary hairs with 1-2 short brown basal cells and 2-3 elongate hyaline distal cells. Secondary stem and branch leaves not differentiated, little altered when dry, strongly complanate, erect-spreading to spreading, oblong-lanceolate (in profile), 2.5-3.5 mm long, the apex somewhat to deeply retuse and stiffly pungent, not or scarcely recurved, mostly erect, conduplicate-cucullate, auriculate; margins subentire, incurved almost throughout; costa short and double or absent; cells linear, subflexuose, smooth, thick-walled, the walls almost as wide as the lumina, porose, shorter and ± short-rectangular in the extreme apex, becoming somewhat shorter toward the yellowed insertion; alar cells reddish brown, short-rectangular to rhombic, thick-walled, porose, in small, not or scarcely excavate groups. Asexual propagula none. Dioicous. Perichaetial leaves erect with spreading apices, oblong-ovate, 2.5-3 mm long, long-acuminate to piliferous, concave but not conduplicate, not auriculate; margins serrulate above, entire below, plane; costa short and double or absent; cells linear-flexuose, smooth, thick-walled, the walls as wide as or wider than the lumina, porose. Setae short, smooth, reddish, 2-4 mm long; capsules exserted, erect and symmetric, ovoid, 0.85-1.5 mm long, constricted at the mouth; exothecial cells subquadrate, firm-walled, becoming smaller and thinner-walled toward the mouth, stomata present; annulus of 1-2 rows of thick-walled oblate cells, fragmenting; operculum obliquely conic-rostrate, 0.8-1 mm long; peristome double, shallowly inserted below the mouth, exostome teeth pale, incurved when dry, erect when moist, linear-triangular, finely roughened throughout, prostome absent or indistinct, not trabeculate at back; endostome reduced, with a low, hyaline, smooth basal membrane, segments rudimentary or absent, cilia none. Spores spherical, papillose, isosporous, 12-25 µm diam. Calyptrae cucullate, naked or with a few hairs, roughened by projecting cell ends.

  • Discussion

    2. Phyllogonium fulgens (Hedw.) Brid., Bryol. Univ. 2: 671. 1827; Pterigynandrum fulgens Hedw., Sp. Musc. Frond. 86. 1801; Pterogonium fulgens (Hedw.) Sw., Fl. Ind. Occid. 3: 1776. 1806. Plate 62, figures 8-13 Phyllogonium aureum Mitt., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 12: 424. 1869; Phyllogonium fulgens var. aureum (Mitt.) Renauld & Cardot, Bull. Soc. Roy. Bot. Belgique 41(1): 81. 1905. Phyllogonium globitheca Müll. Hal., Bull. Herb. Bois-sier 5: 563. 1897. Discussion. Phyllogonium fulgens is characterized by the notched and pungent leaf apices and exserted capsules. It is usually somewhat more slender and less complanate than P. viride. The two species, though, sometimes grow together.

  • Distribution

    Range. Mexico to Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Surinam, Réunion; Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic), Puerto Rico, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, Grenada; usually growing pendently from tree branches and trunks, rarely rocks, in humid and cloud forests, at (150-)500-2200 m.

    Mexico North America| Central America| Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Bolivia South America| Suriname South America| Cuba South America| Jamaica South America| Haiti South America| Dominican Republic South America| Puerto Rico South America| Montserrat South America| Guadeloupe South America| Dominica South America| Martinique South America| Grenada South America|