Tropicos | Name - !Leptodontium capituligerum Müll. Hal.

Cent. Amer. Moss > Pottiaceae > Leptodontium > Leptodontium capituligerum

Choose Project down

English

!Leptodontium capituligerum Müll. Hal.

Search in Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle

Search in Type Specimen Register of the U.S. National Herbarium

Search in African Plants Database at Geneva Botanical Garden

African Plants, Senckenberg Photo Gallery

Project Name Data (Last Modified On 2/16/2011)

Acceptance : Accepted

Project data (Last Modified On 2/16/2011)

Discussion:

Leptodontium capituligerum and L. stoloniferum are the only Central American species of Leptodontium with very strongly differentiated inner and outer basal leaf cells. In these species the inner basal cells are enlarged and hyaline with thin, bulging walls while the outer basal cells are small, concolorous and have firm walls. Leptodontium stoloniferum differs from L. capituligerum in having scattered, simple or c-shaped papillae rather than central, crown-like papillae on the upper leaf cells, longer outer basal leaf cells, somewhat broader leaves, and propagula borne on leafless branchlets. Another distinctive feature of L. capituligerum

is the tendency of its leaf bases to be iridescent when dry. This feature is also occasionally seen in L. exasperatum and L. syntrichioides which differ from L. capituligerum in having a stem sclerodermis. Although Zander (1972) described a sporophyte for this species, the description was based on sporophytes of L. tricolor (Williams) Zand. which he had incorrectly synonomized with L. capituligerum.

Illustrations: Bartram (1949, Fig. 48 E–H); Zander (1972, Figs. 159–166); Sharp et al. (1994, Fig. 198). Figure 39.

Habitat: On soil in forest, damp thickets, and shaded, rocky banks; 2800–3240 m.

Distribution in Central America: GUATEMALA. Totonicapán: Standley 84446 (F, MICH); COSTA RICA. Heredia: King C-74-069 (MO).

World Range: Central America; Western, Northern, and Southern South America, Brazil; Northeast Tropical Africa.

Export To PDF

Export To Word

Leptodontium capituligerum C. Müll., Linnaea 42: 323. 1879.

Protologue: Argentina. Argentinia Cordobensis, Ascochinga in rupibus gneissaceis, Aprili 1871, sterile. – Argentinia subtropica, Aliso-regione, Siambon 1873, hic multo longius et magis luteum; prope Siambon in tectis, terra et ligno passim, initio Martii 1872, ubique sterile et polymorphum, gracile vel robustius [Lorentz]. Lectotype (Zander 1972): Argentina, Siambon, Lorentz, s.n. (NY).

Leptodontium gracile C. Müll. ex Britt., Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 32: 474. 1896. Protologue: Bolivia. Mapiri, 5000 ft ([Rusby] 3111); Unduavi, 8000 ft. [Rusby] 3109. Lectotype (Zander 1972): Rusby 3111 (NY).

Plants medium-sized in loose tufts, yellowish brown, 2–5 cm high. Stems red, erect or laxly ascending, hyalodermis present, sparsely radiculose. Leaves erect to erect-incurved, flexuose to crispate when dry, spreading to spreading-recurved when wet, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, 3–3.5 mm long, keeled above, erect-sheathing at base, decurrent; apices acute to broadly acuminate; margins recurved in lower 1/2–2/3, serrate to dentate in upper 1/3; costa subpercurrent; upper leaf cells quadrate to subquadrate, firm-walled with rounded corners, 10–15 μm in diameter, pluripapillose; inner basal cells long- or short-rectangular, enlarged and hyaline with thin, bulging walls, sometimes iridescent, 32–75 x 7.5–17.5 μm, sharply demarcated from the quadrate to short-rectangular, firm-walled outer basal cells, basal leaf cells near insertion often with unistratose enations of quadrate cells, cells pluripapillose, papillae near upper margins and interior basal region simple, low, scattered, papillae of upper interior and lower marginal regions complex, in a crown-like ring from a centrally located, high columnar base, alar cells not differentiated. Asexual reproduction by obovoid gemmae with transverse walls borne on main stems. Dioicous. Sporophytes unknown.