236 



MEMOIRS OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN 



[VOL. 11 



Telaranea chaetophylla (Spruce) Spruce, Trans. Proc. Bot. Soc. Edinb. 15 : 365. 1885. 

 Lepidozia nematodes (Austin) Spruce, Trans. Proc. Bot. Soc. Edinb. 15 : 366. 1885. 

 Lepidozia chaetophylla var. tenuis Pearson, Cliri.stiania Videnskaps.-Selskabs Forhandl. 

 1886 3 : 7. 1886. 



Blepharostoma antillarum Bescherelle & Spruce, Bull. Soc. Bot. France 36: 183. 1889. 

 Blepharostoma nematodes (Austin) Underwood. Bull. Torrey Club 23: 383. 1896. 

 [footnote] 



Tclaranea nematodes antillarum (Bescherelle & Spruce) Howe, Bull. Torrey Club 29: 

 284. 1902. 



Tclaranea nematodes (Austin) Howe, Bull. Torrey Club 29: 284. 1902. 

 Tclaranea nematodes longijolia Howe, Bull. Torrey Club 29: 286. 1902. 

 Telaranea bicruris (Stephani), Howe, Bull. Torrey Club 29 : 287. 1902. 

 Lepidozia sejuncta (Angstrom) Stephani, Spec. Hep. 3 : 563. 1909. 



Plants small, filamentous, in light green to whitish patches; leafy stems 

 slender, filiform, ascending, 2-4 cm long, pinnate to bipinnate, the lateral branches 

 short or long, very close to distant, rarely becoming flagelliform, the half-leaf 

 subulate or bifid, the ventral branches long, leafy or flagelliform, or short, sexual; 

 stem in transverse section with a unistratose cortex of six to twelve large cells 

 surrounding the medulla of numerous smaller cells. Rhizoids short, from small 

 cells at the base of the underleaf or from the base of a flagelliform branch. Line 

 of leaf insertion transverse. Stem leaves delicate, spreading, of two, three or 

 four approximately equal, long filamentous segments, four to six cells long, or 

 each segment from a 2-celled base, the bases joined for about half their length 

 and forming a lamina four, six, or eight cells across and half a cell high; cells of 

 the segments just above the base 75-100 ^ or more long, the cells of the upper 

 part 60-80 n long, the walls thin, the cuticle smooth. Stem underleaves variable, 

 smaller than the leaves, bifid, trifid when the leaves are trifid, etc.), the segments 

 of two to four, rarely more, elongate cells from a base of four or more small 

 cells bearing rhizoids. Branch leaves with one less segment, branch underleaves 

 often very small and only two cells broad at the base and two cells long. 

 Plants dioicous and autoicous (Muller, 1956). Male inflorescence terminal on 

 the stem or lateral branch, the bracteoles in five to many series, the monandrous 

 bracts similar to the leaves, the bracteoles similar to the branch underleaves; 

 antheridia large, spherical, the stalk of one row of cells. Female inflorescence on a 

 very short ventral sexual branch, occasionally terminal on the stem or leafy 

 branch, the bracts and bracteoles similar, in three or four series, large, quadrate 

 to rectangular in outline, divided to one-half of their length or less, into usually 

 four laciniate laciniae with occasional marginal spines, the cells 90-120 n long, 

 thin-walled. Perianth to 1.7 mm long, fusiform with three rounded keels above, 

 contracted, the mouth of to 12 laciniae terminated by long, unbranched cilia, 

 the cells long as in the bracts and bracteoles. Capsule dark brown, long ovoid, 

 the wall of three layers of cells, the brown thickenings appearing as knots along 

 the radial walls of the outer surface, and as bands or partial bands on the inner 

 tangential wall; seta in transverse section of eight (to twelve) very large outer 

 cells surrounding 16 to 24 smaller, thin-walled cells; foot inverted cone-shaped; 

 elaters long, reddish brown, bispiral; spores brown, 14-16 finely punctate. 

 PI. 52. Fig.l,a-j. 



Habitat: Decaying logs, humus, tree bases, and soil, or over other bryophytes, 

 in swamps and moist forests. 



PUERTO RICO : Sierra de Luquillo, Steere 6169 (MICH). 



GUADELOUPE: Le Gommier, Ed. Marie 5125, isotype of B. antillarum (G, NY). 



