Bryophyte flora of Uganda. 7. Calymperaceae and Octoblepharaceae

Abstract

Shoots erect or creeping. Leaves linear, lingulate, ligulate or lanceolate; costa strong, incorporating stereids and guide cells and/or hyaline cells, often with a superficial layer of chlorophyllose cells; lamina in basal region of leaf well defined, largely unistratose, formed by large, empty, thinwalled, porose cells (cancellinae); in distal region of leaf composed of small, thick-walled, chlorophyllose cells (nonleucobryoid genera) or absent (most leucobryoid genera); leaf margin usually differentiated. Gemmae often produced on leaves, fusiform or filamentous, uniseriate. Dioicous. Sporophytes terminal, seta smooth; theca cylindrical; operculum rostrate or subulate. Peristome haplolepidous (16 teeth, usually papillose) and calyptra fugacious (Syrrhopodon, Leucophanes) or peristome absent and calyptra persistent (Calymperes). Spores papillose. 1. Leaves with extensive chlorophyllose lamina; hyaline cells largely restricted to leaf base 2 Leaves lacking chlorophyllose lamina; costa largely composed of hyaline cells with a thin central strand of stereids at or near dorsal surface Leucophanes 2. Hyaline base of leaf with an intramarginal rib of thickwalled linear cells (teniolae); calyptra persistent; peristome lacking Calymperes Leaves lacking intramarginal rib (rib if present always marginal); calyptra fugacious; peristome present [Some New World collections of Syrrhopodon incompletus have an intramarginal rib at the shoulders of their leaves; to date, such ribs have not been evident in collections from Uganda.] Syrrhopodon CALYMPERES Sw. ex F.Weber, Tab. Calyptr. Operc., 1813. Shoots erect, forming tufts and mats, sometimes matted with rhizoids below. Leaves consisting of a largely hyaline, semisheathing base narrowing distally into a chlorophyllose limb; costa ending just below apex to shortly excurrent, smooth scabrid and/or papillose, internally with a single row of guide cells (a secondary row occurs in some nonUgandan species) between dorsal and ventral bands of stereids or large lumened hyaline cells, superficial cells differentiated, chlorophyllose; cells of lamina in chlorophyllose limb small and thick walled, in surface view polygonal to rounded, slightly longer than broad to slightly broader than long; flat or protuberant, smooth or papillose; cells of lamina in hyaline base large, empty, with thin, porose walls, in surface view mostly subrectangular; leaf margin often differentiated with a marginal and/or intramarginal rib (teniolae), entire, spinose, dentate, or denticulate. Gemmae often produced on leaves, uniseriate, fusiform. Dioicous. Perichaetia and perigonia terminal (subperichaetial and subperigonial innovations often fertile); perichaetial bracts sheathing mature sporophyte similar to vegetative leaves; inner-most perigonial bracts sheathing antheridial group, oval with a shortly pointed apex, outer perigonial bracts resembling vegetative leaves but with a relatively short chlorophyllose limb. Sporophytes exserted. Seta smooth; capsule narrowly cylindrical, sometimes with superficial stomata at base; operculum conical-rostrate. Peristome lacking. Calyptra persistent, twisted-plicate resembling a rolled umbrella, mostly straw-coloured but with a reddened apex; spores dispersed through longitudinal slits. Spores papillose. 1. Costa incorporating stereids, lacking inflated appearance; cells forming apex of hyaline lamina not ventrally protuberant; leaf margin above hyaline base formed by thickened rib, angled in cross-section C. afzelii Costa lacking stereids, with inflated appearance; cells forming apex of hyaline lamina acutely protuberant from the ventral leaf surface; leaf margin above hyaline base with intramarginal rib C. pallidum Calymperes afzelii Sw., Jahrb. Gewachsk, 1: 3, 1818. (Fig. 1) Shoots ,0.5–.3 cm high, sparsely branched, forming mats and tufts. Leaves dimorphic, gemmiferous and nongemmiferous. Nongemmiferous leaves 2–5 mm long, composed of a suberect, suboblong hyaline base narrowing slightly and abruptly into an erect to patent (incurved when dry), narrowly to broadly lingulate chlorophyllose limb that contracts abruptly to a broadly acute denticulate apex; costa ending immediately below apex, above hyaline base scabrid, internally incorporating stereids; chlorophyllose *Series Editors: J.W. Bates, N.G. Hodgetts and B.J. O’Shea Journal of Bryology (2007) 29: 259–274