Mittenothamnium reptans (Hedw.) Cardot

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Hypnaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Mittenothamnium reptans (Hedw.) Cardot

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants small to medium-sized, in usually green, sometimes golden, extensive, loose mats. Stems stipitate, arched, wiry, radiculose at tips, 2-3 cm long, freely and irregularly branched above sparsely foliate stipe, the branches often branched, slender, attenuate, laxly foliate; in cross-section with 3-5 rows of small thick-walled cells surrounding larger thin-walled cells, central strand large, oblong, of small thin-walled, nodulose cells; pseudopa-raphyllia foliose; axillary hairs very small, with a single short hyaline basal cell and a single short (ca. 1.5 X longer than basal cell) hyaline distal cell. Stipe leaves differentiated, widely spaced, wide-spreading, broadly inserted, ovate, 0.6-0.8 mm long, gradually short-acuminate, somewhat decurrent; margins serrulate almost to base, plane; costa short and double, to 1/4-1/3 the leaf length; cells long-hexagonal to linear-oblong, smooth or sparsely prorulose at upper ends at back, becoming rectangular toward the insertion; alar cells few, short-rectangular in extreme angles. Stem leaves erect-to wide-spreading, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 0.45-1.3 mm long, gradually short-acuminate, not or scarcely decurrent; margins serrate to serrulate above, serrulate to denticulate below, mostly plane, sometimes erect; costa short and double, unequal, one fork often to 1/4 the leaf length; cells linear, sparsely prorulose at upper ends at back, often firm-walled, only becoming shorter at extreme insertion; alar cells very few in 1-4- rows in extreme angles. Branch leaves laxly spaced, erect- to wide-spreading, lanceolate, 0.4-0.95 mm long, gradually short-acuminate, not or scarcely decurrent; margins mostly serrate above, especially in young leaves, serrulate almost to base, mostly plane, sometimes erect, especially at base; costa short and double, unequal, one fork sometimes to 1/3 the leaf length; cells long-hexagonal to linear-oblong, sparsely but usually conspicuously prorulose at upper ends at back, firm-walled, only becoming shorter at extreme insertion; alar cells quadrate to short-rectangular in 3-5 rows in extreme angles. Asexual propagula none. Autoicous. Perichaetia conspicuous; leaves erect with flexuose apices, lanceolate, 1.5-2 mm long, ± abruptly long-subulate; margins distantly serrulate in the acumen, irregularly serrate-serrulate at the shoulders, entire to serrulate below, plane; costa none or rarely with 2 distinct forks; cells linear to linear-oblong, smooth, firm-walled, ± porose, becoming shorter, broader and thinner-walled toward the insertion; alar cells not differentiated. Setae elongate, smooth, dark-red, 1-2 cm long, twisted; capsules inclined to pendent, arcuate, asymmetric, cylindric, 1.2-1.5 mm long, constricted below the mouth when dry; exothecial cells quadrate to short-rectangular, with vertical walls thicker than crosswalls; annulus of 1-2 rows of oval to rectangular thick-walled cells, falling early; operculum conic-rostrate, slightly oblique; exostome teeth shouldered, bordered, on the front surface cross-striolate below, coarsely papillose above, trabeculate at back; endostome with a high, finely papillose basal membrane, segments papillose, keeled, perforate, ca. as long as the teeth, cilia papillose, in groups of 2-3, shorter than the segments. Spores spherical, finely papillose, 10-17 µm diam. Calyptrae cucullate, naked, smooth.

  • Discussion

    1. Mittenothamnium reptans (Hedw.) Cardot, Rev. Bryol. 40: 21. 1913; Hypnum reptans Hedw., Sp. Musc. Frond. 265. 1801; Microthamnium reptans (Hedw.) Mitt., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 12: 506. 1869; Stereohypnum reptans (Mitt.) M. Fleisch., Hedwigia 47: 275. 1908; Rhizohypnum reptans (Hedw.) Herzog, Biblioth. Bot. 87: 149. 1916. Plate 131, figures 11-19 Microthamnium reptans var. squarrulosum Besch., Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot. VI, 3: 262. 1876; Microthamnium reptans var. squarrosulum Besch. ex Paris, Index Bryol. 811. 1897, nom. illeg. orthogr.; Stereohypnum reptans var. squarrulosum (Besch.) M. Fleisch., Hedwigia 47: 277. 1908. Microthamnium minusculifolium Müll. Hal., Bull. Herb. Boissier 5: 565. 1897; Mittenothamnium minusculi-folium (Müll. Hal.) Cardot, Rev. Bryol. 40: 21. 1913. Stereohypnum reptans var. laxirameum M. Fleisch., Hedwigia 47: 278. 1908. Mittenothamnium volvatum fo. gracilis Thér., Mem. Soc. Cub. Hist. Nat. “Felipe Poey” 15: 229. 1941, nom. inval. descr. gall. Discussion. Mittenothamnium reptans is immediately recognizable by its arched, sprawling stems. The plants are laxly foliate and the young leaves appear particularly serrate due to the serrations developing before full leaf size. The plants are quite variable in size, but not microscopic detail. Although a thorough study of the South American taxa has not been undertaken, M. langsdorffii (Hook.) Cardot, M. acrorrhizon (Hornsch.) Cardot, and M. volvatum (Hampe) Cardot are at best marginally distinct from M. reptans. One need only read Fleischer’s (1908) descriptions to verify this observation.

  • Distribution

    Range. Mexico, Central America, northern South America, Africa, India, probably pantropical; Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic), Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Martinique; a common and weedy species growing on a wide range of substrates from soil and rock to trees, in mesic to cloud forests, from sea level to ca. 2000 m.

    Mexico North America| Central America| Brazil South America| Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Africa| India Asia| Cuba South America| Jamaica South America| Dominican Republic South America| Haiti South America| Puerto Rico South America| Guadeloupe South America| Martinique South America|