Beitrag
On Lepicolea Dumort. (Marchantiophyta: Lepicoleaceae) in tropical America
Gradstein, S. Robbert; Hentschel, Jörn
Nova Hedwigia Band 118 Heft 1-2 (2024), p. 29 - 39
20 Literaturangaben
veröffentlicht: Mar 25, 2024
Online veröffentlicht: Sep 15, 2023
Manuskript akzeptiert: Aug 1, 2023
finale Ms. Revision erhalten: Aug 1, 2023
Manuskript-Revision angefordert: Jul 25, 2023
Manuskript erhalten: Jul 11, 2023
DOI: 10.1127/nova_hedwigia/2023/0895
ArtNo. ESP050011801003, Preis: 29.00 €
Abstract
Species of Lepicolea are robust liverworts with main distribution in the Southern Hemisphere and on high mountains of tropical America and Asia. Three species have been recorded from tropical America, L. ochroleuca, L. pruinosa and L. ramentifissa. In the course of our research on neotropical liverworts we found that several collections of Lepicolea had been misidentified. Study of herbarium materials showed that the three species are morphologically well-defined although one of them, L. ramentifissa, had frequently been confused with L. pruinosa or L. ochroleuca. Lepicolea ramentifissa is probably restricted to Bolivia. Additionally to the characters mentioned in the literature, we found that the three species can be distinguished by the crenation of leaf margins and the shape of the basal cells of the lacinia. Lepicolea ramentifissa is identical to L. ochroleuca in leaf areolation and crenation of leaf margins, but clearly differs in having stem paraphyllia and numerous cilia and lacinia on leaf margins. SEM analysis revealed the occurrence of a continuous layer of thickening on the abaxial leaf surfaces in L. pruinosa and L. ochroleuca, and wax crystals on the adaxial leaf surface in L. pruinosa. This is the first observation of wax crystals in Lepicoleaceae.
Schlagworte
bryophytes • epicuticular wax crystals • Lepicolea ochroleuca • Lepicolea pruinosa • Lepicolea ramentifissa • liverworts • morphology • tropical America