Orthotrichum lyellii Hook. & Taylor

Authority

Sharp, Aaron J., et al. 1994. The Moss Flora of Mexico. Part Two: Orthotrichales to Polytrichales. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 69 (2)

Family

Orthotrichaceae

Scientific Name

Orthotrichum lyellii Hook. & Taylor

Description

Species Description - Plants u p to 13 cm high (Mexican populations smaller), coarse, robust, in loose or dense tufts, yellow- to dark-green above, olive-green or brown with a red-brown tomentum below. Stems branched, flexuose-spreading. Brood bodies sometimes present o n leaves, septate, 4—14 cells long, reddish-brown to blackish, cylindric-oblong. Leaves erect-spreading to loosely erect, ± flexuose when dry, spreading to wide-spreading and often wavy when moist, 2.5-6.5 mm long, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, narrowly acute to acuminate; margins plane or sometimes broadly reflexed, entire; costa slender, ending 2-4 cells below the apex; upper cells 7-14 µm wide, irregularly rounded-hexagonal to elliptic, with conic papillae u p to 7 µm high; basal cells narrowly-elongate, grading to quadrate at the margins, ± nodose, smooth or scarcely papillose, the papillae originating from the ends of cells. Dioicous. Male plants smaller than the female; perigonia numerous, large. Setae 0.8-2.7 mm long; capsules immersed, emergent, or rarely exserted, 1.7-3 mm long, oblong- to long-cylindric, gradually tapering to a long neck, yellow-brown, distinctly 8-ribbed from 1/2 to the entire length; exothecial cells differentiated in longitudinal bands 3-5 cells wide; stomata superficial, few, near the middle of the urn; exostome teeth 16, acuminate, reflexed-recurved, pale-brown, densely papillose; endostome segments 16, large, incurved when dry, slightly shorter than the exostome, coarsely papillose. Spores 18-35 µm, densely papillose. Calyptrae up to 4.2 mm long, conic-oblong, smooth or slightly plicate with a long, dark beak, very hairy, the hairs 2-3 cells thick and sparsely papillose.

Discussion

Fig. 454

O. lyellii Hook. & Tayl., Muse. Brit. 76. 1818.

O. papillosum Hampe, Linnaea 30:458.1860.

O. menziesii Hook, ex Mitt., J Linn. Soc., Bot. 8: 24.1864, nom. nud.

Dorcadion lyellii (Hook. & Tayl.) Lindb., Musci Scand. 28.1879.

Orthotrichum sullivantii Aust., Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 6: 343. 1879, nom. nud.

O. lyellii var. papillosum (Hampe) Lesq. & James, Man. 178. 1884.

O. pringlei C. Müll., Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 13:120.1886.

O. lyellii var. pringlei (C. Müll.) Macoun & Kindb., Cat. Canad. Pl. 6: 92. 1892.

O. pacificum Hampe ex Britt, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 20: 398. 1893, nom. nud. in syn.

O. lyellioides Kindb., Rev. Bryol. 23: 21.1896.

O. lyellii var. howei Ren. & Card., Bot. Gaz. 30: 20. 1900.

O. lyellii var. papillosum fo. pringlei (C. Müll.) Grout, Moss Fl. N. Amer. 2:118.1935.

The narrow leaves, plane leaf margins, dioicous inflorescences, and peristome of 16 exostome teeth and 16 broad endostome segments are diagnostic. The capsules are usually emergent. The exostome teeth are slender and reflexed against the capsule wall. Since this species does not occur inland in Mexico, it is not likely to be confused with such other large Orthotricha such as O. pycnophyllum and O. hortoniae.

Distribution

Usually on trees, rarely on boulders in Mexico, on both rocks and tree trunks northward; Baja California (on the mainland, also on Guadalupe and Cedros Islands).—Mexico; from California to British Columbia; Europe (reported from the northern, western and central portions, south to Italy and Spain); North Africa.

Algeria Africa| Egypt Africa| Libya Africa| Morocco Africa| Tunisia Africa| Europe| Canada North America| United States of America North America| Mexico North America|