Cryphaea patens Hornsch. ex Müll.Hal.
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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
Cryphaeaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Plants slender to medium-sized, secondary stems to ca. 6 cm long, but often only 2-3 cm long, in mostly bright- to dark-green, thin but sometimes extensive, epiphytic colonies. Primary stems creeping, very slender, inconspicuous, with reduced, scale-like leaves, turning ca. 90° and becoming the secondary stem, the creeping stem continuing by a bud from near the base of the secondary stem, secondary stems usually erect, freely but irregularly branched, not complanate-foliate; in cross-section with 2-4 rows of small thick-walled cells surrounding abruptly larger firm-walled cells, central strand none; paraphyllia none; pseudoparaphyllia filamentous (uniseriate) to narrowly foliose (biseriate); axillary hairs with 1-2 short brown basal cells and 2-4 short to elongate hyaline distal cells. Secondary stem and branch leaves similar, appressed when dry, rapidly spreading to wide-spreading when moist, lanceolate-ovate, 1.3-1.8 mm long, gradually or ± abruptly broadly acuminate, concave, broadly decurrent; margins coarsely serrate above, entire below, plane above, recurved below; costa single, ending 4/5 the leaf length to subpercurrent, covered near leaf apex with laminal cells and low-cristate; cells oval, 1.3-3:1, smooth, firm-walled, not differentiated in the acumen, becoming rectangular juxtacostally toward the insertion; alar cells similar to median cells, gradually differentiated, in more obvious rows and somewhat more angular, sometimes some of the cells in the decurrencies short-rectangular. Asexual propagula none. Autoicous. Perichaetia conspicuous; leaves erect with slightly flexuose apices, oblong-obovate, abruptly awned, the lamina 1.4-1.7 mm long, the awn 0.4-0.6 mm long and weakly spinose above from projecting upper ends of cells, on dissection the lamina usually rolled lengthwise; margins subentire to crenulate, plane throughout; costa mostly lacking or only at extreme apex, sometimes extending to base; cells pale, rhomboidal to rectangular and thin-walled at the shoulders, linear and thin- to firm-walled elsewhere, smooth throughout. Setae very short, mostly embedded in the vaginula, smooth, ca. 0.2 mm long; capsules immersed, erect and symmetric, ovoid-cylindric, 1.2-1.5 mm long, broadest near midurn; exothecial cells subquadrate, thin-walled, becoming smaller toward the mouth; annulus revoluble, of 2-3 rows of small, very thick-walled cells; operculum high-conic, ca. 0.4 mm long; exostome teeth linear-triangular, evenly papillose-spiculose throughout, not trabeculate at back; endostome with a very low or absent basal membrane, segments papillose-spiculose throughout, linear, not or scarcely keeled, not perforate, ca. 3/4 the length of the teeth, cilia none. Spores ± spherical, finely papillose, 23-31 µm diam. Calyptrae conic, split up one side, naked, roughened by projecting upper cell ends.
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Discussion
3. Cryphaea patens Hornsch. ex Müll. Hal., Linnaea 18: 679. 1844 [1845]. Plate 65, figures 10-18 Cryphaea polycarpa Schimp. ex Besch., Mém. Soc. Sci. Nat. Cherbourg 16: 215. 1872. Cryphaea sartorii Schimp. ex Besch., Mém. Soc. Sci. Nat. Cherbourg 16: 216. 1812, fide Manuel, J. Hattori Bot. Lab. 49: 126. 1981. Discussion. Cryphaea patens is characterized by leaves with recurved lower margins, coarsely serrate apices, and cells uniform throughout the leaves. It differs from C. jamesonii in the less acuminate leaves and by the homogeneous areolation. The coarsely serrate leaf apices, recurved leaf margins, and freely branched stems will separate C. patens from C. filiformis.
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Distribution
Range. Mexico to Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia; Hispaniola (Dominican Republic, El Salto de Constanza, Zanoni et
Mexico North America| Costa Rica South America| Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Bolivia South America| Dominican Republic South America| Haiti South America|