Campylium stellatum (Hedw.) C.E.O.Jensen

  • Authority

    Hedenäs, Lars. 2003. Amblystegiaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 89: 1--107. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Campyliaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Campylium stellatum (Hedw.) C.E.O.Jensen

  • Type

    Type. Europe s.n. (lectotype, G, designated by Hedenäs, 1997a).

  • Synonyms

    Hypnum stellatum Hedw., Campyliadelphus stellatus (Hedw.) Kanda

  • Description

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    Species Description - Plants medium-sized or large; green to yellowish or brownish. Stem usually erect, irregularly or sometimes irregularly pinnately branched in one plane; outer pseudoparaphyllia (sometimes rare) narrow-triangular, inner ones broad and irregular to triangular; axillary hairs with 1-4-celled upper part, this hyaline when young. Stem leaves spreading or ± squarrose from sub-sheathing erect to erect-spreading base; narrowing gradually or abruptly from cordate or rounded-triangular basal part to long acumen (constituting 40-65% of leaf length) that leads to acuminate or narrow-acuminate apex, not plicate, concave, not or hardly decurrent; acumen distinctly furrowed or occasionally almost tubular; margin entire or slightly sinuose; costa short and weak, double or single, extending at most 20-25% of way up leaf; median laminal cells (29.5-)33.5-109.0 × 5.5-9.5(-10.0) µm, incrassate or slightly incrassate, porose or indistinctly so; alar cells differentiated, the basal cells rectangular or short-rectangular, inflated and hyaline, widest cells 17.0-29.5 µm wide, the upper cells rectangular or quadrate, only slightly inflated; alar group ovate or rectangular, along basal margin of leaf, extending 30-35% of distance from leaf margin to leaf middle at insertion. Inner perichaetial leaves ± narrowing abruptly to acuminate apex. Exostome outside cross-striolate in lower part. [Sporophytes not known from neotropical material.]

  • Discussion

    Campylium stellatum was reported from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Guadeloupe (e.g., Buck, 1998; Delgadillo et al., 1995; Sharp et al., 1994; Winkler, 1965). Several of the earlier reports (El Salvador, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe) are obviously due to confusion with other "Campylium-like" species. The material from El Salvador was not seen by me, but it seems very unlikely that C. stellatum should have grown as an epiphyte in a cloud forest (Winkler, 1965). Colombia is here added to the list of countries from which C. stellatum is known. When seen from above in the field, shoots of this species often look like small stars, because the leaf acumina are spreading to squarrose. Otherwise the species is recognized by the cordate or rounded-triangular basal part of its stem leaves, its short and double costa, and its well-differentiated ovate or rectangular alar groups consisting of inflated and hyaline cells that extend up along the basal margins of leaves. Campylium stellatum is frequently confused with Drepanocladus polygamus, and the two can be separated by the characters given in Table II.

    The reports of Campylium stellatum from the West Indies (Buck, 1998) are mainly due to confusion with some expressions of Campyliadelphus chrysophyllus, but the material reported from Guadeloupe belongs to Campylophyllum sommerfeltii. Buck (1998) considered the main differentiating character between Campylium stellatum and Campyliadelphus chrysophyllus to be in the length of the costa. However, Campyliadelphus chrysophyllus, as discussed in the present monograph, is variable as regards this character. In plants with a short double costa, the safest differentiating characters between the two species are found in the plant size (0.8-1.7 and 1.7-3.2 mm long stem leaves in C. chrysophyllus and C. stellatum, respectively), alar cell size (widest alar cells 10.5-17.5(-21.0) vs. 17.0-29.5 µm wide), and appearance of the alar group (quadrate or ovate or broadly ovate, extending from the leaf margin 35-65% of the distance to the leaf middle at insertion in C. chrysophyllus; ovate or rectangular along the basal margin of the leaf, extending 30-35% of the distance from the leaf margin to the leaf middle at insertion in C. stellatum). Buck's (1998) observation that in the West Indies Campylium stellatum seems to be smaller than C. chrysophyllus, contrary to what has been reported from other areas, is understandable when all his observations are apparently based on C. chrysophyllus, and smaller specimens of the latter relatively often have a poorly developed costa.

    Campylium stellatum is closely related to Campylium protensum (Brid.) Kindb., which occurs in North America but has not been reported from the neotropical area. Campylium protensum differs from C. stellatum in having a more procumbent growth, a slightly smaller size, and a relatively longer leaf acumen. Paraphyllia have never been seen in C. stellatum, whereas scattered plants of C. protensum have a few paraphyllia. Unlike C. stellatum, C. protensum occurs frequently in tree-covered wetlands, such as swampy forests.

  • Distribution

    Mexico (1675 m a.s.L), Guatemala (2255-3100 m), and Colombia (3460-3470 m). Widespread and often common in temperate to arctic areas of N America and Eurasia; also occurring in N and E Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. The species grows in intermediately mineral-rich or mineral-rich fens, as well as on lake and river shores.

    Mexico North America| Chiapas Mexico North America| Guatemala Central America| Huehuetenango Guatemala Central America| Totonicapán Guatemala Central America| Colombia South America| Meta Colombia South America|