Chara kraussiana J. GROVES et STEPHENS

Langangen, Anders, 2015, Some Finds Of Charophytes From East-Africa (Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya And Somalia), Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae Series B 71 (3 - 4), pp. 239-248 : 244-246

Chara kraussiana J. GROVES et STEPHENS

The species has been found in four localities in Kenya and Tanzania ( Text-fig. 8 ).

Description of specimens examined:

The plants are dioecious, 10–30 cm high and only slightly encrusted. The stem diameter is 650–900 µm and the internodes are up to 4.5 cm long. The cortex is regularly triplostichous, tylacanthous (Text-fig. 6) to irregularly (2)–3 corticated. The spine cells are papillous to short, 50–75 µm high, and acute. The spine cells are most dense in young internodes. The stipulodes are in two rows of which both are more or less developed, the upper row has cells up to 500 µm long and the lower has cells up to 300 µm long. The stipulodes are often obscure in older nodes. The number of branchlets is 8 in a whorl. They are up to 3 cm long and from 0.5x to 2x the length of the internodes. The branchlets are often connivent and have 7–9 segments, the first segment is very short, the end segment is 1-celled and ecorticated. The cortex of the branchlets is normal. Bract cells are 4–5, in female plants up to 650 µm long and posterior cells are short, up to 100 µm long. The two bracteoles and the one bractlet in branched dark green submerged aquatic herb with leaves in whorls up the stems and minute brilliant scarlet fructifications produced in a single open row up each leaf segment and making quite a show in small patches through the water when viewed from above. A dominant aquatic with occasional Utricularia – Lemna – stands of aquatic Cynodon dactylon – Panicum repens- Leersia hexandra – occasional Cyperus in pools about 1 ft. deep marginal to Aeschynomene swamp.

2. Kilimanjaro: Moshi district, Mpololo, 3500ft. altitude. Leg A. Haaser, August 1928. Det 1957 G. O. Allen, Conf. 26.03.2005 A. Langangen ( EA). (Text-fig. 7) .

3. Arusha: Maji ya Chai , 4500 ft. altitude Leg D. Vesey-Fitzgerald 27.7.1971. Det 31.01.2001 A . Langangen (EA).

Description of specimens examined:

Plants are dioecious and up to 20 cm high. The stem diameter is up to 800 µm. Sterile branchlets 1-furcate, 5 in a whorl. Fertile branchlets are very short, and forming numerous, dense heads. Gametangia on separate plants and enveloped in mucus (according to collector). The oogonia are up to 800 µm long and 600 µm wide.

The oospore is brown, round and laterally compressed, up to 550 µm long and 550 µm wide, with 7 ridges. The oospore membrane is papillate, fossa 75–80 µm with 7 papilla across it ( Text-fig. 9).

The antheridia are 750–850 µm in diameter ( Text-fig. 10 ), and have dactyls with thickened cell walls.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Nitella knightiae has only been reported from the southern part of Africa ( Wood and Imahori 1965), but now also found in Tanzania.

E c o l o g y: Nitella knightiae is a freshwater species

( Groves and Stephens 1933).

The examined herbarium specimens are (from EA):

Figures

Text-fig. 8. Distribution of examined species.

Text-fig. 10. Nitella knightiae. Antheridium.