Tropicos | Name - Trichostomopsis australasiae (Hook. & Grev.) H. Rob.

Cent. Amer. Moss > Pottiaceae > Trichostomopsis > Trichostomopsis australasiae

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Trichostomopsis australasiae (Hook. & Grev.) H. Rob.

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

Discussion:

Distinctive features of T. australasiae include its stem hyalodermis, surface costal cells that are enlarged and papillose on the ventral side, bistratose leaf margins, broadly acute leaf apices, and single costal stereid band. In Central America T. australasiae can be confused with Didymodon hampei since both species are similar in size and have strongly differentiated upper and lower leaf cells. In both species the lower cells are hyaline, abruptly enlarged, thin-walled, and smooth while the upper cells are concolorous, quadrate, firm-walled, and papillose. Didymodon hampei differs from T. australasiae in having unistratose leaf margins, two costal stereid bands, and elongate cells on the upper ventral surface of the costa.

Illustrations: Grout (1939, Pl. 110 A); Bartram (1949, 47 A–D); Lawton (1971, Pl. 51 12–20); Zander (1981, Pl. 3 1–4); Sharp et al. (1994, Fig. 226). Figure 80.

Habitat: On roadside banks and rocks; 2250–3000 m.

Distribution in Central America: GUATEMALA. Sacatepéquez: Standley 65211 (F); Quezaltenango: Sharp 1930 (MO, NY).

World Range: Western Canada, Southwestern and South-Central U.S.A; Mexico; Central America; Western, Northern, and Southern South America; Arabian Peninsula; Northern Africa, Northeast Tropical Africa, and Southern Africa; Australia, New Zealand.

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Trichostomopsis australasiae (Hook. & Grev.) Robins., Phytologia 20: 187. 1970.

Tortula australasiae Hook. & Grev., Edinburgh J. Sci. 1: 301. 1824. Barbula australasiae (Hook. & Grev.) Brid., Bryol. Univ. 1: 828. 1827. Trichostomum australasiae (Hook. & Grev.) Jaeg., Ber. Thätigk. St. Gallischen Naturwiss. Ges. 1871-72: 397. 1873. Didymodon australasiae (Hook. & Grev.) Zand., Phytologia 41: 21. 1978. Protologue: Australia. King George’s Sound, New Holland. A. Menzies Esq. 1791.

Didymodon diaphanobasis Card., Rev. Bryol. 37: 125. 1910. Trichostomopsis diaphanobasis (Card.) Grout, Moss Fl. N. Amer. 1(4): 228. 1939. Protologue: Mexico. Etat de Mexico: Ixtaccihuatl (Purpus, 1919, n°3721 in parte).

Plants small, dull, green above, brown below, in tufts, 4–10 mm high. Stems red to reddish yellow, erect, sparsely and irregularly branched, hyalodermis and central strand present; rhizoids sparse, at base of stems or scattered throughout. Axillary hairs 5–6 cells long, basal cell brown. Leaves 1–2 mm long, oblong, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, crowded, incurved-contorted when dry, spreading when wet, channeled above on ventral surface; apices broadly acute; margins bistratose above, entire and plane below, plane to recurved above; costae subpercurrent to short-excurrent, surface ventral cells quadrate, guide cells and single (dorsal) stereid cells present, ventral surface layer enlarged, bulging, papillose; upper and basal cells differentiated, upper cells subquadrate to short-rectangular, 7–12 x 5–10 μm, firm-walled, pluripapillose, at times with c-shaped papillae, inner basal cells quadrate to rectangular, lax, smooth, 16–23 x 12–15 μm, marginal basal cells quadrate, firm-walled, alar cells not differentiated. Dioicous. Setae smooth, 7–10 mm long, red. Capsules cylindrical, erect, 1.5 mm long, smooth; exothecial cells short-rectangular, firm-walled; stomata in neck; opercula erect, long-rostrate, 1.5 mm long; annuli vesiculose; peristome teeth yellow, short, straight or slightly twisted, basal membrane low. Spores 10–12 μm, smooth. Calyptra not seen.