Three Propaguliferous Pohlias from Michigan

Abstract

Three rare Pohlias characteristically producing brood bodies in the leaf axils of sterile stems have been found in northern Michigan. Pohlia annotina var. loeskei has been reported previously from the state, P. bulbifera has recorded but once, and P. proligera has been collected several times but only in a few localities. A number of species of Pohlia bear axillary propagula at least occasionally, but in North America only four species and one variety produce brood bodies so regularly that they are most easily recognized by them. Of these, P. annotina var. loeskei has recently been discovered for the first time in northern Michigan, where P. bulbifera has already been collected once, and P. proligera has been collected in a few localities. Because all of these are rare and generally known even to seasoned collectors, it seems appropriate to summarize here our knowledge of their distribution in Michigan and elsewhere. Pohlia annotina (Hedw.) Lindb. var. loeskei Crum, Steere & Anderson [var. decipiens Loeske] is a small, yellowish or dark green, relatively dull moss with narrow leaves and very small, pale, elongate, slightly twisted propagula ending in leaf primordia resembling minute horns. The propagula are somewhat larger than the subglobose brood bodies of typical P. annotina and shorter and less twisted than the similarly vermicular ones of P. proligera. It grows on moist, sandy or silty soil of disturbed banks, especially along trails and at roadsides, and sometimes on the thin soil of rock ledges. We have seen specimens from northern Italy; the variety is presumably more widely distributed in Europe, in Fennoscandia, for example, where it is not uncommon, in some localities more frequent than the type (Nyholm, 1958). It occurs in North America on St. Paul Island in the Bering Sea, southeastern Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, Georgia, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New York, Ontario, Quebec, Tennessee, and Vermont. Neither the species nor the variety has been recorded previously from Michigan. During 1965 and 1966 we made four collections, all in northern Michigan: MICHIGAN. CHEBOYGAN CO.: Moist sand, 10 ft. from the water level, Vincent Lake, Munro Township, Miller 3386. ALGER CO.: Moist sand over sandstone near summit of cliff, Pictured Rocks, near Miner's Castle, Miller 2721. LUCE CO.: Moist soil of river bluff near trail, Upper Tahquamenon Falls, Miller 3543 (with P. proligera); Crum, 1966. Pohlia proligera (Limpr.) Lindb. ex Am. is readily recognized by its pale, glossygreen color and twisted, vermicular brood bodies crowded in the upper leaf axils. It is found on moist, usually sandy soil, especially in disturbed places such as roadcuts and sometimes also on rocky ledges, particularly of sandstone. It is a northern species ranging from Greenland to Alaska and southward to California, Colorado, the Great Lakes Area, and New York. We can confirm records from the following parts of temperate eastern North America: Manitoba, Michigan, Minnesota, Nova Scotia, New 1 Herbarium, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. 2 Department of Botany, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan. This content downloaded from 157.55.39.25 on Sun, 04 Dec 2016 04:52:25 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 19671 CRUM & MILLER: PROPAGULIFEROUS POHLIAS 119 York, Ontario, and Quebec. Andrews (1935) reported it in Wisconsin as well. We have seen numerous specimens from northern and central Europe (south to northern Italy). According to Nyholm (1958) it also occurs in northern Asia, Madeira, and the Azores. It has been found in four counties in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The following records have been confirmed: MICHIGAN. ALGER CO.: Pictured Rocks, Steere; Nichols. Au Train Bay, Sharp. Scott Falls, Hermann. KEWEENAW CO.: Copper Harbor, Steere. LUCE CO.: Upper Tahquamenon Falls, Crum; Miller; Crum & Miller. MACKINAC CO.: Cut River ravine, Crum & Miller. Records from Luce and Mackinac Counties are reported here for the first time. Pohlia bulbifera (Warnst.) Warnst. is characterized by its dark or yellow-green, glossy color and pale, yellowish, globose brood bodies borne separately or in groups of two or three in leaf axils nearly all along the stems. It grows on damp, often sandy soil, on roadbanks and often at the margins of lakes, ponds, and rivers. We have seen specimens from Greenland, Alaska, northern Manitoba, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, Nova Scotia, New York, Ontario, and Quebec. According to Nyholm (1958), it also occurs throughout northern and central Europe, northern Asia, and the Azores, but we can confirm its occurrence only in Finland, Sweden, Germany, and Poland. We have seen the specimen which Griffin (1962) reported from Whitefish Point in northern Michigan. It is correctly named, but it should be pointed out that the locality is in Chippewa and Luce County, as Griffin and later Darlington (1964) said.