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(Last Modified On 2/16/2011)
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Acceptance
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Accepted
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(Last Modified On 2/16/2011)
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Discussion:
Leptodontium ulocalyx is the
most common species of Leptodontium in Central America. It has broad
ecological tolerances, is found from 140 m to 3700 m elevation, and is
extremely variable in morphology. Diagnostic leaf features of this taxon
include its reddish brown, tomentose stems, sharply acuminate leaves with
porose basal cells that are pluripapillose to near the insertion,
well-developed, quadrate to short-rectangular, thick-walled alar cells,
strongly collenchymatous upper cells with low scattered papillae, and blunt,
usually papillose, marginal teeth. Unfortunately, all of these features can be
distressingly variable. Zander (1972) treated it as a variety of L.
viticulosoides, an autoicous species that differs from L. ulocalyx
in having weakly porose or straight-walled basal leaf cells that are smooth a
considerable distance from the insertion, lax, rectangular alar cells, sharp,
smooth marginal teeth, and stems with a whitish tomentum. Leptodontium
viticulosoides is apparently pseudoanisosporous, i.e., has two sizes of
spores, each in equal numbers, with the smaller ones being aborted. The spores
of L. ulocalyx are mostly of one size. However, L.
ulocalyx is variable in this respect and occasionally single collections
have a mix of capsules with single-sized spores that are all viable, and
two-sized spores with the smaller spores non-viable and variable in number.
Morphological variability in this
species is so great that it is hard to accept it as a single species. In examining
this taxon for possible segregates, special attention should be given to
perichaetial leaf length. In some species the inner perichaetial leaves nearly
overtop the capsule, while in others they are less than 1/4 the setae length.
An especially noteworthy variation of this taxon is found in the expression
typified by Leptodontium cirrhifolium Mitt. This expression has
exceedingly long leaves with a costa that ends well below the apex, sinuate
upper leaf margins, and upper leaf cells to 22 μm long.
The rhizoids in L. ulocalyx
generally have two distinct forms: thick and unbranched ones arising from
closely spaced stem initials that often adhere together, and thin, highly
branched ones arising from scattered stem initials. On any given stem the
thin-type of rhizoids greatly outnumber the thick-type. Occasionally the thick
rhizoids are secondarily branched and these branches are of the thin-type form.
In Guatemala L. ulocalyx is
gathered, at times dyed green (see Standley 76423, F, NY) and sold in
the markets for making decorations and wreaths on All Saints Day.
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Illustrations:
Bartram (1949, Fig.
50 D–F, as L. sulphureum; Fig. 51 A–D); Zander (1972, Figs. 2, 12–13,
73–80); Sharp et al. (1994, Fig. 196 a–d); Churchill and Linares (1995,
Fig. 156 g–k). Figure 50.
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Habitat:
On tree trunks (Quercus,
Cornus, conifer), roots, canopy branches and twigs (Quercus,
Alnus, Buddleya) rotting logs (Cupressus, conifer), shaded
moist soil banks, dry ground in heath, hummocks, bogs, dry or moist rocks, and
on road beds; 140–3700 m.
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Distribution in Central America:
GUATEMALA. Alta Verapaz: Standley 92603 (F, MICH, NY, TENN); Baja
Verapaz: Croat 41160 (GUAT, MO); Chimaltenango: Standley 61858
(F); El Progreso: Steyermark 43114 (F, MICH, NY); Guatemala: Standley
80608 (F); Huehuetenango: Standley 82720 (F, MICH, MO, NY, TENN);
Jalapa: Steyermark 33119 (F, MICH); Quezaltenango: Sharp 2132
(MO, TENN); Quiché: Sharp 2348 (MO, NY, TENN); Sacatepéquez: Standley
65275 (F, MICH); San Marcos: Croat 40920A (MO); Sololá: Steyermark
47504C (F); Totonicapán: Sharp 2610 (MICH, MO, TENN); Zacapa: Steyermark
42319a (F, MO). EL SALVADOR. Ahuachapán: Monro et al. 2040 (BM, MO);
Chalatenango: Sipman et al. 37626 (MO, NY); Santa Ana: Croat 42319
(ITIC, MO, NY); San Vicente: Standley 21551 (MO, NY); Sonsonate: Croat
42231 (MO). HONDURAS. Atlántida: Allen 17520 (MO, TEFH); Comayagua: Allen
12329 (MO, TEFH); Cortés: Allen 14307 (MO, TEFH); Francisco Morazán:
Pilz 1583 (MO); Lempira: Allen 11838 (MO, TEFH); Ocotepeque: Allen
14421 (MICH, MO, TEFH); Olancho: Allen 12465 (MO, TEFH). NICARAGUA.
Estelí: Stevens 10786 (MICH, MO, NIC, NY, US); Jinotega: Stevens
& Grijalva 15804 (MO, NIC). COSTA RICA. Alajuela: Rojas 395
(MO); Cartago: King C91-66 (MO); Heredia: Croat 35540 (BUF, MO);
Limón: Gutierrez 191 (F, MICH, NY); Puntarenas: Crosby 2504 (BUF,
CR, DUKE, H, MICH, MO, NY, US); San José: Croat 32882 (BUF, BM,
CR, DUKE, F, FH, H, MICH, MEXU, MO, NY, S, TEFH, US). PANAMA. Bocas del Toro: Allen
5331 (MO, PMA); Chiriquí: D’Arcy et al. 13110 (MO, MICH, NY, PMA,
US).
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World Range:
Mexico; Central
America; Caribbean, Western and Northern South America, Brazil.
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Leptodontium ulocalyx (C. Müll.) Mitt., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 12: 51. 1869.
Trichostomum ulocalyx C. Müll., Syn. Musc. Frond. 1: 578. 1849. Didymodon ulocalyx (C. Müll.) Jaeg., Ber. Thätigk. St. Gallischen Naturwiss. Ges. 1871-1872: 360. 1873. Protologue: Mexico. Deppe et Schiede. Ecuador. Monte Pichincha Andium Quitensium: W. Jameson. Lectotype (Zander 1972): Mexico, Deppe & Schiede, s.n. (FH).
Trichostomum sulphureum C. Müll., Syn. Musc. Frond. 2: 626. 1851. Leptodontium sulphureum (C. Müll.) Mitt., J. Linn. Soc., Bot 12: 51. 1869. Didymodon sulphureus (C. Müll.) Jaeg., Ber. Thätigk. St. Gallischen Naturwiss. Ges. 1871-1872: 360. 1873. Leptodontium viticulosoides var. sulphureum (Lor.) Zand., Bryologist 86: 156. 1983. Protologue: Nicaragua. America centralis, Nicaragua in monte vulcanico Viego, alt. 5000 pedum: A. S. Oersted m. Febr. 1847 legit (NY).
Leptodontium sulphureum var. panamense Lor., Moosstudien 161. 1864. Didymodon sulphureus var. panamense (Lor.) Jaeg., Ber. Thätigk. St. Gallischen Naturwiss. Ges. 1871-1872: 360. 1873. Leptodontium viticulosiodes var. panamense (Lor.) Zand., Bryologist 75: 250. 1972. Protologue: Panama. Prov. Chiriqui in Panama leg. M. Wagner (NY).
Leptodontium cirrhifolium Mitt., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 12: 52. 1869. Didymodon cirrhifolius (Mitt.) Jaeg., Ber. Thätigk. St. Gallischen Naturwiss. Ges. 1871-1872: 361. 1873. Leptodontium ulocalyx var. cirrhifolium (Mitt.) Bartr., Fieldiana, Bot. 25: 122. 1949. Protologue: Ecuador. Andes Quitenses, ad terram et rupes secus Banos in monte Tunguragua, Spruce, n. 28 et 28b; Guayrapata, Spruce, n. 28c. Lectotype (Zander 1972): Ecuador, Tunguragua, Spruce 28 (NY).
Leptodontium motelayi Ren. & Card., Bull. Soc. Roy. Bot. Belgique 38(1): 11. 1900. Leptodontium sulfureum var. motelayi (Ren. & Card.) Bartr., Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 26: 74. 1928. Protologue: Costa Rica. America centralis: Costarica, San Jose, herb. Motelay; comm. cl. Bescherelle (NY).
Leptodontium perannulatum Williams, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 34: 572. 1908. Protologue: Guatemala. Volcan de Agua, on sheltered rocks, 3400–3750 meters, March 22, 1905, H. Pittier 42 (F, NY).
Plants medium to large in loose tufts or mats, yellow-green to light green, brown below, to 15 cm high. Stems red, erect or laxly ascending, sclerodermis present, moderately to densely radiculose, often with a thick, reddish brown tomentum. Leaves moderately spaced, erect at base, crispate to contorted, undulate at margins when dry, squarrose to squarrose-recurved, smooth or undulate at margins when wet, ovate-lanceolate to long-lanceolate, 2.5–8 mm long, keeled above, sheathing at base, decurrent; apices acute; margins recurved in lower 1/2–2/3, dentate in upper 1/3, teeth pluripapillose, sometimes smooth; costa subpercurrent; upper leaf cells quadrate to hexagonal, thick-walled, collenchymatous, pluripapillose, papillae low, scattered over the lumina, 5–17.5(–27.5) x 5–7 μm, inner basal cells long-rectangular to elongate, pluripapillose nearly to the insertion, thick-walled, porose, 30–88 x 2.5–6 μm, outer basal leaf cells similar to upper leaf cells, alar cells short-rectangular to quadrate, thick-walled. Plants at times with long, slender, flagellate branchlets along the stems, branchlet leaves spreading to recurved when wet, lanceolate, not deciduous, costa subpercurrent. Dioicous. Setae straight, 1–2 per perichaetium, 5–15 mm long, yellow. Capsules erect to somewhat curved, cylindrical, 3–5 mm long, smooth; exothecial cells short-rectangular, firm-walled; stomata at base of urn; opercula conic-rostrate, 1–1.5 mm long; exostome teeth short, linear, irregularly divided nearly to the base, red-brown, striate, lightly papillose, 200–400 μm long. Spores 22–37.5 μm, slightly papillose. Calyptrae cucullate, smooth, 6 mm long.
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