Barbellopsis trichophora (Mont.) W.R.Buck

Authority

Buck, William R. 1998. Pleurocarpous mosses of the West Indies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 82: 1-400.

Family

Meteoriaceae

Scientific Name

Barbellopsis trichophora (Mont.) W.R.Buck

Description

Species Description - Plants relatively robust, in green to golden-brown, often dense, pendent colonies. Stems pendent, to ca. 20 cm long, irregularly branched, complanate-foliate; in cross-section with 3-5 rows of small thick-walled cells surrounding large thin-walled cells, central strand small, of small cells; pseudoparaphyllia broadly foliose; axillary hairs of ca. 4 short hyaline cells, the apical one somewhat wider than those subtending it. Stem and branch leaves differentiated, inserted in a straight line ± perpendicular to the stem, stem leaves appressed, lanceolate, 2.9-3.7 mm long, gradually and flexuously hairpointed, convolute-concave, subauriculate, narrowly decurrent; margins serrulate throughout, more prominently so near leaf base, plane; costa none or short and inconspicuous; cells linear, ca. 20:1, smooth or lowly unipapillose, thin-walled; alar cells subquadrate, thin-walled. Branch leaves complanate, wide-spreading, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 2.2-2.9 mm long, gradually acuminate, the acumen mostly not hairpointed or flexuose, convolute-concave, rounded to the insertion but not at all auriculate, shortly and narrowly decurrent; margins serrulate throughout, more prominently so near leaf base, plane; costa short and double; cells linear, ca. 15:1, unipapillose on both surfaces, sometimes obscure, thin-walled; alar cells subquadrate, firm-walled, porose, not reaching the costa and more elongate at the leaf margins. Asexual propagula none. Dioicous. Sporophytes not known in the New World.

Discussion

1. Barbellopsis trichophora (Mont.) W. R. Buck, comb. nov.; Isothecium trichophorum Mont., Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot. II, 19: 238. 1843; Neckera trichophora (Mont.) Müll. Hal., Syn. Musc. Frond. 2: 130. 1850; Meteorium trichophorum (Mont.) Sull., U.S. Expl. Exped., Musci 22. 1859; Pilotrichella trichophora (Mont.) A. Jaeger, Ber. Thätigk. St. Gallischen Naturwiss. Ges. 1875-76: 259. 1877; Barbella trichophora (Mont.) M. Fleisch. ex Broth, in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 1(3); 824. 1906; Dicladiella trichophora (Mont.) Redf. & B. C. Tan, Trop. Bryol. 10: 66. 1995. Plate 102, figures 1-7 Meteorium cubense Mitt., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 12: 435. 1869; Pilotrichella cubensis (Mitt.) Paris, Index Bryol. 943. 1897; Squamidium cubense (Mitt.) Broth. in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 1(3): 809. 1906; Barbella cubensis (Mitt.) Broth, in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 1(3): 824. 1906; Dicladiella cubensis (Mitt.) W. R. Buck, J. Hattori Bot. Lab. 75: 57. 1994. Meteorium diclados Schimp. ex Besch., Mém. Soc. Sci. Nat. Cherbourg 16: 227. 1872; Leskea heteroclados Schimp. ex Besch., Mém. Soc. Sci. Nat. Cherbourg 16: 227. 1872, nom. nud. in syn.; Barbella diclados (Besch.) Broth, in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 1(3): 824. 1906. Meteorium enerve Thwaites & Mitt, ex Mitt., J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 13: 317. 1873; Barbella enervis (Mitt.) M. Fleisch. ex Broth, in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 1(3): 824. 1906. Additional synonymy in Asia. Discussion. Barbellopsis trichophora is characterized by the very different orientation of stem (appressed) and branch (wide-spreading) leaves, easily seen in every specimen, by the ecostate leaves, and by the unipapillose leaf cells. Heinar Streimann (1988) has recognized B. trichophora (sub B. cubensis) as widespread in the Asian and Australian tropics, with numerous new synonyms, including Barbella enervis. The sporophyte was described as setae ca. 2 mm long; capsules 1.5-2 mm long; operculum to 1.2 mm long; exostome teeth on the front surface papillose-cross-striolate below, coarsely papillose above; segments ca. 0.45 mm long and rudimentary cilia sometimes present; spores 20-35 µm diam. These data match my observations from an Indian specimen. Streimann (1993) was the one who discovered an epithet older than the well-known cubensis, and thus the use of trichophora, from a Hawaiian type.

Distribution

Range. Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Colombia, Peru, eastern Asia, Australia, Hawaii (see discussion below); Cuba, Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic); growing on twigs and branches, in moist broadleaf forests, at 1000-2000 m.

Mexico North America| Guatemala Central America| Honduras Central America| Panama Central America| Colombia South America| Peru South America| China Asia| Japan Asia| Mongolia Asia| Taiwan Asia| North Korea Asia| South Korea Asia| Australia Oceania| Cuba South America| Dominican Republic South America| Haiti South America|