Tropicos | Name - !Syntrichia percarnosa (Müll. Hal.) R.H. Zander

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!Syntrichia percarnosa (Müll. Hal.) R.H. Zander

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

Discussion:

Syntrichia percarnosa has enlarged inner basal leaf cells that contrast sharply with its firm- to thick-walled, short-rectangular outer basal leaf cells. Its leaf laminae are at times bistratose in streaks and its leaf margins can be unistratose or bistratose. The costa of S. percarnosa is unusual in having dorsal substereid and occasionally ventral substereid cells.

Syntrichia percarnosa is known in Central America from a collection (Sharp 4787) that is mixed with S. fragilis. Although a duplicate of this collection (NY) has sporophytes, they belong to S. fragilis. Both species have similarly shaped leaves, weak stem central strands, and thin-walled, somewhat enlarged stem epidermal cells. Syntrichia percarnosa is smaller than S. fragilis and has rigid, erect-incurved, cucullate leaves with subpercurrent costae. In contrast, S. fragilis has fragile, acute to obtuse, mucronate leaves that are flexuose-twisted to spirally twisted around stem when dry, and a short-excurrent costa.

Illustrations: Robinson (1967, Figs. 22–25) Zander (1993, Pl. 109 20–22); Sharp et al. (1994, Fig. 261); Churchill and Linares (1995, Fig. 161 j–m). Figure 77.

Habitat: On limestone boulders; 3352 m.

Distribution in Central America: GUATEMALA. Huehuetenango: Sharp 4787 (MO, NY).

World Range: Mexico; Central America; Western and Southern South America.

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Syntrichia percarnosa (C. Müll.) Zand., Bull. Buffalo Soc. Nat. Sci. 32: 269. 1993.

Barbula percarnosa C. Müll., Linnaea 42: 347. 1879. Tortula percarnosa (C. Müll.) Broth., Nat. Pflanzenfam. 1(3): 432. 1902. Protologue: Argentina. Argentina subtropica, Cuesta de Pinos. – Monte Nevado prope Salta, 11,000 ped alta cum Brachystelio emerso. [Lorentz].

Tortula kingii Robins., Bryologist 70: 24. 1967. Protologue: Colombia. Colombia, Eastern Cordellera, Dept. Cundinamarca, Municipality of Calera, Hacienda La Sibera, Páramo de Palacio, 3,520 m, King, Jamamillo-Mejia & Guevara C-990.

Plants medium-sized, matted, reddish green above, brown below, saxicolous. Stems to 10 mm high, irregularly branched, central strand weakly developed, hyalodermis present; rhizoids scattered on stem, smooth. Axillary hairs 6–8 cells long, all hyaline. Leaves 2–2.5 mm long, rigid, ligulate-spathulate, erect to spreading at base, erect-incurved when dry, spreading when wet; apices obtuse, cucullate; lamina mostly unistratose, occasionally bistratose at the margins and in streaks on lamina; margins entire or lightly crenulate, plane above, weakly recurved at base; costa narrow, subpercurrent, ventral surface cells quadrate, papillose, guide cells present, ventral substereid cells occasionally present, dorsal substereids present, ventral surface layer enlarged, papillose; upper cells irregularly quadrate, oblate, or short-rectangular, 6–15 x 6–15 μm, firm-walled, densely and thickly pluripapillose with branched or c-shaped papilla, marginal cells not differentiated, inner basal cells rectangular, thin-walled, hyaline, smooth, 30–40 x 20 μm, outer basal cells short-rectangular, firm- to thick-walled, alar cells not differentiated. Dioicous. Perichaetia terminal. Sporophytes not seen.