Homalia glabella (Sw.) Mitt.
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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
Neckeraceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Plants medium-sized to relatively robust, in lustrous, bright metallic green, less often yellow-brown or bronze-tinged mats. Primary stems creeping, to ca. 10 cm but often shorter or so entangled that measurement becomes difficult, secondary stems ± flattened to ascending, to ca. 7 cm long but mostly 3-4 cm, arising from upturning primary stem, the creeping stem continuing by innovations, the secondary stems irregularly branched, occasionally becoming flagellate, complanate-foliate; in cross-section with 3-5 rows of small thick-walled cells surrounding large ± thin-walled cells, central strand small, of a few cells; paraphyllia absent; pseudoparaphyllia filamentous; axillary hairs with 1-2 short brown basal cells and (4-)6-8 elongate hyaline distal cells. Primary creeping stem leaves small, oblong to ligulate, 0.75-0.95 mm long, secondary stem and branch leaves similar, complanate, wide-spreading, scarcely altered when dry, asymmetrically oblong to spathulate, 1,75-2.5(-3.3) mm long, broadly rounded and apiculate to mucronate, not decurrent; margins serrate across the apex, occasionally the teeth 2-3-celled, subentire below, usually inflexed on one side below; costa short and double, rarely ± single and extending to 1/3 the leaf length; cells long-hexagonal, ca. 7-11:1, smooth, thin- to firm-walled, not or somewhat porose, becoming rhomboidal and shorter, ca. 2-3:1, thicker-walled and ± porose in a large area at the leaf apex, becoming more distinctly porose toward the insertion; alar cells very few in extreme angles, rectangular, scarcely differentiated. Asexual propagula none. Dioicous. [Sporophytes not seen; description adapted from He, 1992.] Perichaetial leaves erect, convolute, oblong-ovate, ca. 1.8 mm long, abruptly broad-acuminate from midleaf; margins serrulate above, subentire below; costa short and double. Setae elongate, smooth, yellowish, 1.8-2 cm long; capsules suberect, ovoid to oblong-ovoid, asymmetric, 1.75-2.25 mm long; exothecial cells subquadrate, thick-walled; annulus of a single fragmenting row of inflated cells; operculum long-rostrate, 2-2.5 mm long; exostome teeth on the front surface strongly cross-striolate below with overlying papillae, papillose above, strongly trabeculate at back; endostome with a high basal membrane, segments smooth below, papillose above, keeled, perforate, ca. as long as the teeth, cilia in groups of 2-4. Spores spherical, faintly papillose, 12.5-15 µ diam. Calyptrae cucullate, naked, smooth.
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Discussion
1. Homalia glabella (Hedw.) Bruch & Schimp. in Bruch, Schimp. & W. Giimbel, Bryol. Eur. 5(fasc. 44-45, Monogr. 1): 54. 1850, “Omalia”; Leskea glabella Hedw., Sp. Musc. Frond. 235. 1801; Neckera glabella (Hedw.) F. Weber & D. Mohr, Index Mus. Pl. Crypt. 3. 1803; Hypnum glabellum (Hedw.) Sw. ex P. Beauv., Prodr. Aethéogam. 64. 1805. Plate 42, figures 1-7 Discussion. Homalia glabella is one of our most distinctive mosses. The plants are relatively robust, with strongly complanate-foliate secondary stems mostly about 3-4 cm long, and when alive a bright metallic, glossy green. The leaf apices are broadly rounded and mucronate, and relatively strongly toothed. One might only confuse it with other neckeroid mosses. However, it has by far the most lustrous leaves of the neckeroid mosses. Unlike our two species of Neckera and Neckeropsis undulata, the leaves are not at all undulate. Compared to Porotrichum, Thamnobryum, and Homatiodendron, the plants are not at all stipitate-frondose.
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Distribution
Range. Mexico to Panama; Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Dominica; growing most frequently on rocks (acidic?), less often on tree trunks, in moist forests, at 400-2500 m.
Mexico North America| Central America| Cuba South America| Jamaica South America| Puerto Rico South America| Guadeloupe South America| Dominica South America|