Porotrichum piniforme (Brid.) Mitt.

  • 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

    Neckeraceae

  • Scientific Name

    Porotrichum piniforme (Brid.) Mitt.

  • Description

    Deprecated: mb_convert_encoding(): Handling HTML entities via mbstring is deprecated; use htmlspecialchars, htmlentities, or mb_encode_numericentity/mb_decode_numericentity instead in /home/emu/nybgweb/www-dev/htdocs/science-dev/wp-content/themes/nybgscience/lib/VHMonographsDetails.php on line 179

    Species Description - Plants usually rather small, not especially rigid, somewhat shiny, yellowish. Secondary stems 1-2-pinnate above a stipitate base, about 2-5 cm high, sometimes loosely and irregularly branched, more elongate, and somewhat pendulous (up to 15 cm long); branches not flagellate-tapered. Branch leaves subsquarrose, complanate, smooth or ± biphcate when dry, about 0.7-1 mm long, broadly oblong-ovate to elliptic, rounded-obtuse and abruptly narrowed to a broad apiculus; margins irregularly serrate toward the apex and serrulate nearly to the base; costa rather slender, ending about 2/3 up the leaf, occasionally with a basal or median spur; cells smooth, moderately thick-walled throughout, short-rhomboidal to subquadrate above, becoming longer toward the base. Sporophytes not seen.

  • Discussion

    Fig. 567

    P. piniforme (Brid.) Mitt., J. Linn. Soc, Bot. 12: 465.1869.

    Pilotrichum piniforme Brid., Bryol. Univ. 2: 260. 1827.

    Thamnium piniforme (Brid.) Kindb., Hedwigia 41: 238. 1902.

    Pinnatella piniformis (Brid.) Fl., Hedwigia 45: 81. 1906.

    Homaliodendron piniforme (Brid.) Enroth, Nova Hedwigia 51: 551. 1990.

    Porotrichum piniforme was included in Pinnatella in Die naturlichen Pflanzenfamilien, but there seems to m e no compelling reason to question a more obvious relationship to Porotrichum. Sastre-De Jesus (1987) treated the species as a Porotrichum, but Enroth (1990) referred it to Homaliodendron because of stems lacking a central strand, appressed stipe leaves, and relatively short setae (5.5 mm long, or less) seen in African plants. In Enroth's concept, the species also occurs in several parts of central and western Africa and Madagascar.

    The plants are often relatively small. The branch leaves are much hke those of other species of Porotrichum in shape, serration, and areolation. The most significant characters are presented by the branch leaves, with a broad apex, abruptly narrowed to a short, stout apiculus, margins toothed all around, though more strongly so at the apex, and very thickwalled, short apical cells. (As compared with Pinnatella minuta, the plants are soft, shiny, and relatively large, with leaves rounded-obtuse, apiculate, and coarsely toothed, costa shorter and narrower, and cells smooth and longer at base than in the upper regions.)

    Porotrichum brevifolium Bartr. of Guatemala commonly has flagellate-tapered branches. The leaves are small (0.5- 1 mm long) and broadly pointed with margins entire or nearly so.

  • Distribution

    On bark of trees, logs, and apparently also on rock at 800 m alt.; Oaxaca.—Mexico; Lesser Antilles (Guadeloupe and Dominica); reported from Surinam, Brazil, and Ecuador (Sastre-De Jesus, 1987) and from central and western Africa and Madagascar (Enroth, 1990).

    Mexico North America| Guadeloupe South America| Dominica South America| Suriname South America| Brazil South America| Ecuador South America| Africa|