Toloxis imponderosa (Taylor) W.R.Buck

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Meteoriaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Toloxis imponderosa (Taylor) W.R.Buck

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants medium-sized to somewhat robust, in green to yellow, often black-tinged in older parts, soft, often extensive, pendent colonies. Stems pendent or creeping, to ca. 25 cm long, laxly to densely pinnate, the branches not erect, often <1 cm long but rarely to 2 cm, never with flagellate branches, terete-foliate; in cross-section with 5-7 rows of small thick-walled cells surrounding large firm-walled cells, central strand small, of small thin-walled cells; pseudoparaphyllia foliose, with cells papillose; axillary hairs with a single short brown basal cell and (8-) 10-15 rectangular hyaline distal cells. Stem and branch leaves similar, erect when dry, erect-spreading when moist, inserted in a U-shaped line, slenderly long-triangular to lanceolate-triangular, 1.1-1.8 mm long, gradually acuminate, often broadly so, mostly with a single twist when moist, sometimes twisted when dry, weakly but distinctly plicate, strongly auriculate with the auricles undulate, not decurrent; margins serrate to sharply serrulate throughout, irregularly so in the auricles, plane; costa single, slender, ending near midleaf, not projecting at apex; cells oblong-fusiform, subflexuose, ca. 10:1, seriately pluripapillose with (3-)5-7 papillae/cell on both surfaces, firm- to thick-walled, porose, becoming smooth at extreme apex, toward the insertion, and in portion of auricles below the insertion; alar cells not differentiated but cells across the insertion yellow, especially at junction with auricle. Asexual propagula none. Dioicous. Sporophytes not known?

  • Discussion

    1. Toloxis imponderosa (Taylor) W. R. Buck, Bryologist 97: 436. 1994; Leskea imponderosa Taylor, London J. Bot. 5: 62. 1846; Pilotrichum imponderosa (Taylor) Müll. Hal., Syn. Musc. Frond. 2: 174. 1851; Meteorium imponderosum (Taylor) Mitt., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 12: 442. 1869; Pilotrichella imponderosa (Taylor) Besch., Mém. Soc. Sci. Nat. Cherbourg 16: 225. 1872; Papillaria imponderosa (Taylor) Broth, in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 1(3): 815. 1906; Loxotis imponderosa (Taylor) W. R. Buck, J. Hattori Bot. Lab. 75: 59. 1994. Plate 105, figures 1-6 Neckera oerstediana Müll. Hal., Syn. Musc. Frond. 2: 671. 1851; Meteorium oerstedianum (Müll. Hal.) Mitt., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 12: 441. 1869; Papillaria oerstediana (Mtill. Hal.) A. Jaeger, Ber. Thätigk. St. Gallischen Naturwiss. Ges. 1875-76: 266. 1877. Discussion. Toloxis imponderosa is characterized by triangular-lanceolate leaves with a broadly acuminate, twisted apex. The laminai cells are seriately pluripapillose and the alar region is undifferentiated. The undulate leaf auricles are very striking and distinctive.

  • Distribution

    Range. Mexico, throughout Central America, Venezuela and Colombia to Bolivia, eastern Brazil; Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic); growing on branches of shrubs and small trees, rarely on rocks or humus, in very moist and cloud forests, at 1200-2600 m.

    Mexico North America| Central America| Venezuela South America| Colombia South America| Bolivia South America| Brazil South America| Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Cuba South America| Jamaica South America| Dominican Republic South America| Haiti South America|