Meteorium nigrescens (Sw. ex Hedw.) Dozy & Molk.
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Authority
Buck, William R. 2003. Guide to the plants of central french Guiana. Part 3. Mosses. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 76: 1-167.
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Family
Meteoriaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Description - Plants relatively slender to medium-sized, in green (shade forms) to red-brown (sun forms), frequently black-tinged in older parts, stiff, often extensive colonies; stems creeping or less often pendent, to ca. 20 cm long, irregularly to ± regularly pinnate, the branches often erect, often 1 cm or less long but rarely to 2.5 cm, not uncommonly naked, sometimes with flagellate branches. Stem leaves larger and broader, 1.1-1.75 x 0.5-0.8 mm, longer acuminate and with a more pronounced cordate base, branch leaves erect-appressed when dry, sometimes spreading in shade forms, spreading to wide-spreading when moist, typically ovate-triangular but lanceolate in colonizing forms, gradually short- to long-acuminate (but only rarely hairpointed), with an expanded ± cordate base with cordate areas when well developed ± undulate, 1.1-1.4 x 0.5-0.7 mm; margins subentire or more commonly with projecting papillae, serrulate-crenulate near base, sometimes recurved for about 1/4 the leaf length and beginning just above midleaf; costa ending near midleaf; cells rounded long-rhomboidal, 20-40 x 3-6 µm, pluripapillose and prorulose with (1)3-5(7) papillae/cell, the papillae seemingly arranged randomly and not occurring only over the lumina, becoming longer in the acumen and juxtacostally, consistently short (ca. 2:1) toward the leaf base except marginally and juxtacostally, becoming smooth toward the insertion and in more extensive areas juxtacostally; alar cells differentiated in small areas, subquadrate, smooth, thin- to firm- walled. Asexual propagula frequent, of microphyllous flagellate branches arising from leaf axils and in extreme cases very abundant; caducous leaves common with all but proximal- and distalmost branch leaves caducous, leaving naked stems with small tufts of proximal leaves. Setae slightly roughened throughout, 4-7 mm long; capsules ca. 2 mm long, including a fairly conspicuous and well developed neck ca. 0.5 mm long. Calyptrae cucullate, stiffly erect- hairy.
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Distribution
In non-flooded moist forests, uncommon, ca. 200 m, on tree trunks.
French Guiana South America|