Schlotheimia tecta Hook.f. & Wilson

  • Authority

    Sharp, Aaron J., et al. 1994. The Moss Flora of Mexico. Part Two: Orthotrichales to Polytrichales. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 69 (2)

  • Family

    Orthotrichaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Schlotheimia tecta Hook.f. & Wilson

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants in irregular mats, lustrous, olive- to light reddish-green above, darker, chestnut-brown below, with simple to irregularly branched, descending to erect branches. Stems with branches up to 6 cm high. Brood bodies not seen. Leaves irregularly curved-flexuose and spirally twisted around the branches when dry, spreading-flexuose when moist, strongly keeled to just below the apex, sometimes somewhat rugose, 2.3-4 mm long, narrowly lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, acute to acuminate; margins irregularly serrulate above, plane to reflexed; costa ending just below the apex; upper cells up to 22 µm long and 7-10 µm wide, irregularly rhomboidal to transversely elliptic-rhomboidal, with some cells longer and elliptic-rhomboidal, smooth, nodose, thick-walled; basal cells long-linear, gradually becoming shorter upward, very nodose and thick-walled, ± sinuose near the margins, hyaline to yellowish. Probably pseudautoicous. Perichaetial leaves up to 5.5 mm long, lanceolate, long- acuminate to aristate; margins ± entire; costa ± long-excurrent; elongate basal cells extending higher up the leaf. Setae about 0.5-0.9 mm long; capsules immersed, about 2 mm long, oblong to ovoid-oblong, smooth to lightly 8-ribbed; exothecial cells rectangular; stomata not seen; peristome as in S. rugifolia. Spores anisosporous, 22-25 µm and 37-40 µm. Calyptrae short, conic, lobed, naked, ± smooth.

  • Discussion

    Fig. 491

    S. tecta Hook./. & Wils., London J. Bot. 3: 157. 1844.

    Schlotheimia tecta is distinguished from other Orthotrichaceous species by long-linear, nodose, very thick-walled basal cells which extend to the margin. The reddish or chestnut color and regularly spiraled leaves place it in Schlotheimia without difficulty, and the narrowly lanceolate leaves with serrulate upper margins distinguish it from other Mexican members of the genus. The Mexican collections have fairly typical perichaetial leaves but no sporophytes. (The capsules should be immersed among the long-lanceolate, aristate perichaetial leaves.)

  • Distribution

    Epiphytic, Chiapas and Oaxaca.—Mexico; Rio de Janeiro region of southern Brasil (type locality); Jamaica.

    Mexico North America| Brazil South America| Jamaica South America|