Sprucella

Authority

Fulford, Margaret H. 1966. Manual of the leafy Hepaticae of Latin America--Part II. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 11: 173-276.

Family

Lepidoziaceae

Scientific Name

Sprucella

Description

Species Description - Plants of medium size, loosely branched; lateral branches leafy, sometimes becoming flagelliform in the outer part, of the Frullania type with the dorsal half-leaf ovate, the ventral branches axillary intercalary, leafy or fiagelliform, or shorter, sexual; stem in transverse section with a unistratose cortical layer of 18-26 cells, with some cells larger than those of the medulla. Rhizoids in matted tufts from near the base of the underleaves, and from the base of a female inflorescence. Line of leaf insertion oblique, almost longitudinal, the leaves incubous. Leaves appearing decurrent, small, subquadrate to rectangular, the ventral margin the longer, tridentate with broadly triangular teeth. Underleaves subrectangular to cuneate, quadrifid to the middle. Branch leaves mostly bifid, long, narrow. Plants dioicous; sexual branches ventral, axillary, intercalary. Male bracts and bracteoles in to 20 or more series, the bracts concave, monandrous; antheridia globose, the stalk of one row of cells. Female inflorescence without innovations, the bracts and bracteoles similar, different from the leaves, in three or four series, the inner series quadrifid to four-fifths of their length into long narrowly triangular segments. Perianth fusiform, trigonous above, of three layers of cells below, the mouth contracted, ciliate. In transverse section the seta with an outer layer of eight large cells surrounding smaller cells.

Discussion

Reference: Fulford & J. Taylor, 1959a.

Type species: Lepidozia succida Mitten, 1860.

Distribution

The genus with two species is known only from Africa.

Africa|