Entodon beyrichii (Schwägr.) 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
Entodontaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Plants medium-sized, in lustrous, mostly golden to reddish, ± stiff, dense, often extensive mats. Stems creeping, to ca. 8 cm long, but mostly ca. 4 cm, irregularly to ± regularly pinnate, the branches relatively short, terete-foliate; in cross-section with 3-5 rows of small thick-walled often colored cells surrounding somewhat larger thinner-walled cells, central strand well developed, of numerous very small thin-walled cells; pseudoparaphyllia foliose; axillary hairs with a single short brown basal cell and 3 elongate hyaline distal cells. Stem and branch leaves similar but stem leaves somewhat larger and broader than branch leaves, crowded, branch leaves erect, not contorted when dry, ovate-lanceolate to oblong-ovate to broadly ovate, (0.85-) 1-1.5 mm long, acute or less often mucronate, slightly to strongly concave; margins usually serrulate above, entire below or rarely throughout, plane to slightly recurved below; costa double, relatively well developed, often ending 1/4-1/2 the leaf length; cells linear, smooth, thin- to firm-walled, becoming shorter in the extreme apex; alar cells ± abruptly differentiated, numerous, quadrate to subquadrate, reaching the costa or not, extending up the margins in ca. 12 rows. Asexual propagula none. Autoicous; perigonia often very numerous along stems and bases and branches. Perichaetia large, fewer than perigonia, along stems; leaves ± erect with spreading apices, lanceolate-ovate to ovate, 2-2.6 mm long, gradually or ± abruptly acuminate, concave; margins entire or serrulate above, usually with a few coarse teeth at base of acumen, entire below, plane; costa none or double, to ca. 1/5 the leaf length; cells linear, smooth, thin-walled, becoming long-rectangular toward the insertion; alar cells not differentiated. Setae elongate, smooth, reddish, sometimes bleaching with age, 1-2 cm long; capsules erect, symmetric, long-cylindric, 2.5-4 mm long; exothecial cells short-rectangular, firm-to thick-walled, becoming thinner-walled toward the mouth, annulus of 3-5 rows of thick-walled, short-rectangular cells, somewhat smaller than those of the exothecium, deciduous; operculum bluntly high-conic, slightly oblique; exostome teeth narrowly triangular, yellow-brown, not shouldered, narrowly bordered, on both surfaces densely papillose, on the front surface at base the papillae often coalescing and ± radiating from the center of each plate, slightly trabeculate at back; endostome with a very low basal membrane, segments smooth to papillose, or smooth, linear, keeled, narrowly perforate, mostly shorter than the teeth, cilia none. Spores spherical, almost smooth or finely papillose, 10-12 µm diam. Calyptrae cucullate, naked, smooth.
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Discussion
3. Entodon beyrichii (Schwãgr.) Müll. Hal., Linnaea 18: 708. 1845; Neckera beyrichii Schwãgr., Sp. Musc. Frond. Suppl. 2(2): 162. 1827; Cylindrothecium beyrichii (Schwãgr.) Àngstr., Òfvers. Förh. Kongl. Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. 33(4): 45. 1876. Plate 113, figures 7-14 Entodon erythropus Mitt., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 12: 525. 1869; Cylindrothecium erythropus (Mitt.) Paris, Index Bryol. 298. 1894. Discussion. Entodon beyrichii is immediately recognizable by its golden, terete branches, often growing on rocks in exposed habitats. The leaves are mostly ovate and acute with a stronger costa than the other Antillean Entodon species. It is the only local Entodon with a red seta, annulus, and papillose exostome (i.e., subgen. Erythropus). Occasionally, confusing plants are found with very broad, almost cucullate leaves. These have been referred to E. erythropus var. muenchii Broth, ex Cardot.
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Distribution
Range. Mexico through Central America, Andean South America, Brazil; Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic); growing on logs or rocks, in relatively exposed, dry habitats, at 700-2000 m.
Mexico North America| Central America| Venezuela South America| Colombia South America| Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Bolivia South America| Chile South America| Argentina South America| Brazil South America| Cuba South America| Jamaica South America| Haiti South America| Dominican Republic South America|