Tropicos | Name - !Hyophiladelphus agrarius (Hedw.) R.H. Zander

Cent. Amer. Moss > Pottiaceae > Hyophiladelphus > Hyophiladelphus agrarius

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!Hyophiladelphus agrarius (Hedw.) R.H. Zander

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Discussion:

In Central America H. agrarius is found on limestone or cement in sunny, very dry habitats. Hyophiladelphus agrarius stems have rhizoids densely clustered at the base and are so short it is difficult to make stem cross-sections or observe axillary hairs. The setae of H. agrarius have been described as red-brown (Steere 1938, Bartram 1949, Zander 1994a, 1995), however they are actually bright yellow when young and only become red-brown as they mature. Male plants of H. agrarius are considerably smaller than female plants. They are always found on the rhizoids at the base of the female plants leading Zander (1979, 1994a) to suggest the species may be rhizautoicous.

Bartram (1949) synonomized Barbula subagraria C. Müll. with this species without having seen its type. There is at NY a collection of Barbula subagraria marked “Type” and its label agrees with the protologue of that species except its collection number is 101 rather than 127. This collection is here considered an isotype for two reasons: there is no Bernoullii & Cario 101 cited in Müller’s paper, and Müller described two species (Barbula pellata and Barbula subagraria) from Bernoullii & Cario 127. The NY collection is also a mixture of two species: Hyophiladelphus agrarius and Barbula pellata (= Globulinella globifera).

Illustrations: Brotherus (1924, Fig. 243); Steere (1938, Pl. 88 E); Bartram (1949, Fig. 57 I–L); Breen (1963, Pl. 41 7–11); Florschütz (1964, Fig. 65); Reese (1984, Fig. 28 F–G); Crum and Anderson (1981, Fig. 151); Zander (1981a, Pl. 3 8–12); Sharp et al. (1994, Fig. 219); Zander (1995, Figs. 4–13). Figure 37.

Habitat: On stone and cement walls, or rocks in limestone quarries, often in direct and full sunlight; 7–550 m.

Distribution in Central America: BELIZE. Belize: Allen 19092B (MO); Cayo: Allen 18176 (BRH, MO); Corozal: Robertson s.n. (NY); Toledo: Hawkins 1646 (BRH, MO). GUATEMALA. Suchitepéquez: Bernoulli & Cario 127 (NY). HONDURAS. Cortés: Olson 84-45c (MO). PANAMA. Canal Area: Nee 8268 (MO, PMA).

World Range: South-Central and Southeastern U.S.A.; Mexico; Central America; Caribbean, Northern South America, Brazil.

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Hyophiladelphus agrarius (Hedw.) Zand., Bryologist 98: 372. 1995.

Barbula agraria Hedw., Sp. Musc. Frond. Tortula agraria (Hedw.) P. Beauv., Prodr. Aethéogam. 91. 1805. Protologue: Jamaica and Hispaniola. Habitat in Jamaica et Domingo. Swartz.

Barbula subagraria C. Müll., Bull. Herb. Boissier 5: 193. 1897. Tortula subagraria (C. Müll.) Broth., Nat. Pflanzenfam. 1(3): 429. 1902. Protologue: Guatemala. Mazatenango, mixta cum Barbula pellata Schpr. Coll. [Bernoulii & Cario] N° 127 (NY).

Plants small, dull, green above, brown below, gregarious to tufted, 2–3 mm high. Stems very short, red, not branched, hyalodermis weakly present, central strand well-developed. Axillary hairs 5–7 cells long, all cells hyaline. Leaves 1–2 mm long, oblong, elliptic, or oblong-spathulate, erect to spreading at base, rosulate, erect-incurved when dry, erect-spreading to spreading when wet; apices broadly acute, often mucronate; lamina unistratose, occasionally bistratose at the margins; margins entire to faintly serrulate at apex, erect when wet, inrolled when dry; costa stoutly short-excurrent to percurrent, ventral surface cells elongate, smooth, guide cells and two stereid bands well-developed, ventral and dorsal surface layer somewhat enlarged; upper cells short-rectangular, quadrate or oblong-rhombic, 8–14 x 4–10 μm, firm-walled, bulging-mammillose on ventral surface, plane on dorsal surface, basal cells short or long-rectangular, oblong, triangular, thin-walled, smooth, 12–60 x 4–15 μm, alar cells enlarged, bulging. Dioicous (Rhizautoicous?). Perichaetia and perigonia terminal. Setae smooth, 4–10 mm long, yellow, becoming red-brown with age. Capsules cylindrical, erect, 1–2 mm long, smooth; exothecial cells rectangular, thin-walled; stomata in neck; opercula erect, long-rostrate, 1–1.5 mm long; annuli revoluble, of 1–2 rows of vesiculose cells; peristome red-orange, 0.5–1.2 mm long, teeth spirally twisted, basal membrane high. Spores 9–11 μm, smooth or lightly papillose. Calyptrae cucullate, smooth, 1.5–2.0 mm long.