Bryoerythrophyllum subcaespitosum (Hampe) J. A. Jiménez & M. J. Cano 2012

Jiménez, Juan A. & Cano, María J., 2012, Bryoerythrophyllum subcaespitosum (Pottiaceae), a new combination for a neglected species from South America, Phytotaxa 68 (1), pp. 29-35 : 30-32

Bryoerythrophyllum subcaespitosum (Hampe) J. A. Jiménez & M. J. Cano , comb. nov. ( Figs. 1 , 2 )

Anacalypta subcaespitosa Hampe, Linnaea 32: 127. 1863. Weissia subcaespitosa (Hampe) Mitt., J. Linn. Soc. Bot. 12: 140. 1869. Pottia subcaespitosa (Hampe) A. Jaeger, Ber. Thätigk. St. Gallischen Naturwiss. Ges. 1871 –72: 342. 1873. Barbula subcaespitosa (Hampe) Broth., Nat. Pflanzenfam. I (3): 409. 1902. Type:— COLOMBIA. Distrito Capital: “Nova Granada, Bogotá, Laches, ad latera Barrancos, 2800 m ” 7.1859, Lindig 2008 (lectotype designated here: BM000918589!).

Plants 0.4–1.4 cm high, growing in dense turfs, green to reddish brown above, strongly reddish brown below. Stems simple or branched, hyalodermis absent, sclerodermis undifferentiated, central strand present; axillary hairs filiform, 3–6 cells long, all hyaline. Rhizoidal tubers absent. Leaves appressed to incurved, the upper seldom twisted when dry, erect to erect-patent when moist, ligulate or more rarely lingulate, not or weakly channeled near apex, 0.75–1.5 × 0.25–0.4 mm; lamina unistratose, red with KOH; apex broadly rounded, sometimes widely obtuse, occasionally ending in an apiculus of one cell, non-cucullate; margins revolute from near the base to near the apex, papillose-crenulate in the upper two-thirds, not decurrent at base, edentate, unbordered, unistratose; costa 50–80(100) µm wide at base, ending below the apex, ventral surface cells of the costa in the upper half quadrate, papillose; dorsal surface cells of the costa in the upper half quadrate to rectangular, papillose; in cross-section at midleaf semicircular, with (3)4 guide cells in 1 layer, 0–1 layer of ventral stereids, 2 layers of dorsal stereids, semicircular in shape, hydroids absent, dorsal surface cells differentiated, ventral surface cells differentiated; upper and middle laminal cells subquadrate to shortly rectangular or oblate, 4.8–11.2 × 4.8–11.2 µm, thick-walled, with 3–5 C-shaped, bifurcate papillae per cell, crowed; basal laminal cells rectangular, not inflated, 20–70(75) × 4.8–9.6(11.2) µm, not or hardly differentiated, yellowish, slightly thick-walled, smooth. Gemmae absent. Sexual condition apparently dioicous, only archegonia present, terminal on stem. Perichaetial leaves differentiated, oblong to ovate, 1.3–1.8 × 0.3–0.8 mm, sheathing, with plane and finely denticulate upper margins. Setae 7–9 mm long, brownish orange to yellowish, slightly twisted to the left in the lower part and to the right in the upper part. Capsules exerted, straight; theca cylindrical 1.2–1.7 × 0.6–0.75 mm, yellowish brown to brown; annulus of 2 rows of vesiculose cells, persistent; peristome rudimentary, or of 16 teeth irregularly cleft, filiform, densely spiculose-papillose, straight, to 170 µm long, yellowish brown, basal membrane absent. Operculum conical, 0.38–0.5 mm long, yellowish brown to reddish brown. Calyptrae cucullate, 1.8–2.2 mm long, yellowish, smooth. Spores sphaerical, 9.5–14.5 µm in diameter, yellowish brown, papillose.

Additional specimens examined: — BOLIVIA. La Paz: Laguna de Milluni , 4595 m, 16º21'18"S 68º09'23''W, 15 August 2007, Cano & Jiménez 3821 ( LPB, MUB) . COLOMBIA. Distrito Capital : Bogotá, Cerro de Guadalupe , Linding s.n. ( BM) . PERU. Cajamarca: pr. Cerro Yanahuanga , 3900 m, 6º51'13''S 78º36'41''W, 17 June 2009, Cano et al. 5149 ( MUB, USM) .

Distribution and habitat: — Bryoerythrophyllum subcaespitosum was until now considered to be an endemic of Colombia, known only from the type locality in Bogotá. It is here reported from three new sites in Bolivia, Colombia and Peru, extending its range significantly southward ( Fig. 3 ). In Bolivia B. subcaespitosum occurs on soil under volcanic rock at 4595 m in wet Puna in a Bofedal area. The Bofedales are high Andean wetlands characterized by the presence of cushion bog vegetation dominated by Juncaceae . The Peruvian specimen grows on rocks with accumulated soil at 3900 m in Jalca formation. The Jalca is a transitional alpine formation usually interpreted as drier than Páramo and wetter than Puna. It is a shrubby grassland dominated by Poaceae and Asteraceae . The only information available about the habitat of the two Colombian populations is that both grew in Montane rain forests between 2800 and 3200 m.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Bryoerythrophyllum subcaespitosum. A. Habit, dry. B–D. Leaves. E. Perichaetial leaf. F. Leaf apex. G. Basal laminal cells. H. Perichaetial leaf margin. I. Upper laminal cells. J–M. Cross-sections of the leaf. N. Peristome. O. Cross-section of stem. Scale bars: A = 0.1 cm. B–E = 0.2 mm. F, H, N = 50 µm. G = 60 µm. I = 20 µm. J, K, L, M = 40 µm. O = 25 µm. A–C, F, G, I–M, O from Cano et al. 5149, MUB; D, E, H, N from Lindig 2008, BM.

FIGURE 2. Bryoerythrophyllum subcaespitosum. A. Perichaetial leaf. B. Cross-section of the leaf. C. Upper laminal cells. D. Basal laminal cells. (Cano et al. 5149, MUB).

FIGURE 3. Known distribution of Bryoerythrophyllum subcaespitosum.