1966J 



LEAFY HBPATICAE OF LATIN AMERICA — PART II 



211 



30. Lepidozia alstoni Fulford n. sp. 



Caules 3-5 cm longi, lutco-brunnci, pinnati; folia suhquadrata uno vel duobus 

 dentibus ad marginem basilarera instructa, quadrifida ad medium, segmentoruin 

 marginibus irregularibus, undulatis, cellularum parietibus acquabiliter crassis; 

 amphigastria similia, magna, quadrata, quadrifida ad medium, dente magno ad 

 quemque marginem laminae. Bracteae femineae quadrifidae, segmentorum 

 marginibus integris; perianthii ostium late triangularibus dentibus compositum. 



Plants large, yellow-brown becoming darker with age, in tufts or among other 

 bryophytes; stems to 5 cm or more long, with leaves, 0.8-1.2 mm broad, ascendent, 

 pinnate, the lateral branches numerous, sometimes tending to become flagelliform 

 at the tips, the ventral branches leafy or sexual. Line of leaf insertion sub- 

 transverse. Stem leaves imbricate, subsymmetric, concave, 0.8-1.3 mm long, 

 more or less quadrate, quadrifid to one-half or more; segments long, lanceolate, 

 the margins irregular (abortive teeth ?) , undulate; dorsal margin of the lamina 

 convex, with one or two conspicuous teeth, the ventral margin straight, with 

 one or two teeth; leaf cells at the base of the segment quadrate to rectangular 

 in outline, 26-34x26 n, the walls equally thickened, the cell lumina angular- 

 rounded, the trigones inconspicuous, the cuticle faintly vcrruculosc. Underleaves 

 similar, nearly as large, subquadrate, symmetric, 0.6-0.9 mm long, with a large 

 tooth near the base on both sides, quadrifid to one-half, the margins of the 

 segments irregular. Female inflorescences one to several on a stem, the bracts 

 and bracteoles in four series, quadrifid, the bracts of the inner series divided to 

 one-third their length, the segments long, undivided. Perianth to 4 mm long, 

 plicate, contracted above, the mouth of short, broadly triangular segments. Male 

 inflorescence and sporophyte not seen. PI. 45. Fig. 30, a-m. 



Habitat: On trees, and in crevices of rocks, at high altitudes. 



COLOMBIA : Los Gagues. 10,700 ft, AUton 7493a (type BM). 

 ECUADOR: Pichincha, 15.000 ft, Bell 408 p.p. (BM). 



The species is distinct and readily recognized because of the large size, and 

 brown pigmentation, the long, irregular segments of the leaves and underleaves, 

 the occurrence of teeth or spines on the margins of the lamina of both leaves 

 and underleaves, and the uniformly thickened cell walls. 



The size, color and general aspect of the plants suggest the genera Lepicolea 

 and Triandrophyllum. However, the species is readily separated from Lepicolea 

 since in the latter the leaf-cells have large trigones and a coelocaule is formed 

 around the sporophyte. Although the species of Triandrophyllum have an 

 incubous leaf arrangement and a leaf-cell pattern similar to that in L. alstoni, 

 the line of leaf insertion is strongly oblique and recurved at the dorsal end, the 

 underleaves are bifid or trifid rather than quadrifid, and the female inflorescence 

 is terminal on the stem rather than on a short ventral sexual branch. 



Additional species of Lepidozia reported from Latin America for which there 

 has been insufficient or no material available. 



Lepidozia cupressina (3 dubia Massalongo, Nuovo Gior. Bot. Ital. 17: 240. 

 1885. 



Lepidozia densa Herzog, Repert. Sp. Nov. 21: 26. 1925. Hoehne, Brazil. 



Lepidozia erronea Herzog, in Skottsberg, Nat. Hist. Juan Fernandez Easter Is. 

 2: 725. 1942. Skottsberg, Juan Fernandez. 



Lepidozia jacquemontii Stephani, Spec. Hep. 6: 330. 1922. Non L. jacque- 

 montii Stephani, Spec. Hep. 3: 604. 1909. Skottsberg, Fretuin Magel- 

 lanicum. 



