Two new species of Lejeuneaceae tribe Lejeuneeae (Marchantiophyta) from Colombia

Abstract

Abstract We describe the new liverwort species Lejeunea ryszardii from montane rainforest in the Central Cordillera of Colombia (Dept. Quindío) and Rectolejeunea halinae from submontane rainforest in the Western Cordillera (Dept. Risaralda). Both species stand out by copious vegetative reproduction via caducous leaves. Lejeunea ryszardii resembles the Caribbean L. paucidentata in the leaf lobes with toothed margins and a narrow base but strikingly differs from the latter species in: 1) leaf margins with mamillose cells, which are sometimes crowned by a small papilla, and with scattered rhizoids with or without a tooth-like base; 2) lobules with narrowly elongate, curved, sharp tooth; 3) stem epidermis brownish and somewhat thick-walled; 4) copious production of caducous leaf lobes. Moreover, L. ryszardii is dark green to brown in color and probably dioicous while L. paucidentata is light green and autoicous. Rectolejeunea halinae resembles the neotropical R. flagelliformis in having ciliate caducous leaves but clearly differs from the latter in the pointed leaf tips, the presence of ocelli in underleaves, and the flagelliform shoots with flat, entire-margined underleaves. The discovery of these new species adds two further endemic taxa to the rich bryophyte flora of the Colombian Andes.