Homaliodendron
-
Authority
Buck, William R. 2003. Guide to the plants of central french Guiana. Part 3. Mosses. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 76: 1-167.
-
Family
Neckeraceae
-
Scientific Name
-
Description
Description - Plants typically robust, stipitate-frondose, mostly dull, dark green but becoming yellow-green to golden with age, often in extensive co omes; secondary stems distinctly stipitate, erect to pendent, frondose, 1-3-pinnate, complanate-foliate, axillary flagellate branches common, in cross-section without a central strand. Primary creeping stem leaves and those of the stipe similar, strongly differentiated from other stem and branch leaves, not complanate, erect-appressed, mostly triangular, gradually to ± abruptly acuminate, not or shortly decurrent; margins mostly subentire, plane to narrowly recurved; costa single; cells elongate, smooth, thick-walled; alar cells not or scarcely differentiated. Secondary stem (continuation of stipe above branching) leaves and branch leaves similar but branch leaves notably smaller, complanate, typically wide-spreading, broadly oblong to oblong-ovate to oblong-obovate, asymmetric, mostly acute to short-acuminate; margins typically coarsely serrate above with multicellular teeth, but sometimes subentire to serrulate, subentire below, mostly plane above, usually inflexed on one side below; costa single, ending above midleaf or seldom lower; cells in apex rounded-rhomboidal, relatively short, mostly 1-3:1, becoming longer at midleaf and even longer toward insertion, smooth or rarely unipapillose, thick-walled, ± porose; alar cells not or scarcely differentiated. Asexual propagula of flagellate branches with reduced leaves, arising apically or from leaf axils. Dioicous. Perichaetia large and conspicuous, without ramenta. Setae short, typically less than 5 mm long, smooth, yellowish, straight; capsules exserted, erect to suberect, ovoid to cylindric, symmetric; exostome teeth papillose throughout or rarely on front surface at base with faint cross-striolations; endostome with a mostly low basal membrane, segments slender, papillose, keeled, perforate, about as long as the teeth, cilia none. Calyptrae cucullate, naked or hairy, smooth. Homaliodendron is characterized by stipitate-frondose plants with wide-spreading complanate leaves. The stems lack a central strand. The leaves typically are coarsely serrate but our only species has only serrulate margins. The unicostate leaves have short, thick-walled apical cells, gradually lengthening toward the insertion; alar cells are not or scarcely differentiated. The dioicous plants have short setae (mostly 2-4 mm long) and erect capsules with an obliquely short-rostrate operculum. The exostome is typically papillose throughout and the reduced endostome has a low basal membrane, narrow segments, and no cilia. The calyptrae are cucullate.