Atrichum polycarpum (Müll.Hal.) 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

    Polytrichaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Atrichum polycarpum (Müll.Hal.) 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 in loose, dark-green tufts. Stems 3-5(-6) cm high, densely leafy. Leaves straight and erect-spreading when wet, crisped and contorted when dry, narrowly triangular-lanceolate, subfalcate, 8-10 mm long, 0.8—1.25(—1.5) mm wide midway between base and tip, tapering to a narrowly acute apex, stoutly bordered from base to apex by linear, thick-walled cells, border 20-25(-30) µm wide; margins closely and doubly toothed from the lower 1/3 of the leaf to the apex, often colored; costa spinose at back above; lamellae 4-5, low and inconspicuous, often discontinuous, confined to the nerve, strictly parallel, 1—2(—3) cells high, 16-20 µm wide; lamina rather narrow, unistratose except for the border, scarcely undulate, with a few scattered teeth at back or none; cells smooth or striate-papillose near the base, the median cells transversely elongate-hexagonal, (23-)25-28(-30) µm in longest dimension, usually with obvious comer thickenings. Synautoicous. Male shoot tiny and inconspicuous, located among the perichaetial leaves; perigonial leaves tiny, obovate. Perichaetial leaves similar to vegetative leaves but somewhat longer and broader-based. Setae reddish-brown, 2.5-3 cm long, usually several per perichaetium; capsules reddish-brown, finely striate, cylindric, erect to somewhat inclined, 5-6 mm long, 0.8-1 mm in diameter; operculum rostrate from a hemispheric base, the beak 1.5 mm long; peristome teeth 32. Calyptrae hispid at the tip.

  • Discussion

    Fig. 801

    A. polycarpum (C. Müll.) Mitt., J. Linn. Soc, Bot. 12: 604. 1869.

    Catharinea polycarpa C. Müll., Syn. Muse. Frond. 2: 558. 1851.

    Atrichum polycarpum differs from A. cylindricum (Web.) Amer- G. L. Smith of the Coastal Plain of the eastern United States by its somewhat broader leaves, often discontinuous lamellae, synautoicous inflorescences, and shorter capsules, usually in clusters of several per perichaetium (see Smith, 1977).

  • Distribution

    Chiapas, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tamaulipas, Veracruz—Mexico; Central America; West Indies.

    Mexico North America| Central America| West Indies|