Orthotrichum karoo F.Lara, Garilleti & Mazimpaka

Species

Bryophytes > Orthotrichales > Orthotrichaceae > Orthotrichum

Characteristics

Plants small, 0.4-0.7 cm tall, branched, in small, loose or dense cushions, olive green with conspicuous white hairpoints. Rhizoids orange, smooth, arising at base and lower third of stems and at base of branches. Stems rounded-pentagonal in section, scleroderm 1-2-layered with orange cell-walls. Axillary hairs 2-6(-8) cells long, basal cells short and brown, upper cells cylindrical and hyaline. Leaves keeled, erect-appressed or somewhat flexuose when dry, erect-patent when wet, ovate-lanceolate with the apex tapering to a long, hyaline hairpoint; leaves of female branches branched. Cladautoicous. Perigonia terminal on main stem, terminal or axillary on male branches; perigonial leaves green, small, 0.6-1 mm long, apex obtuse, apiculate or ending in a short, green hair; upper laminal cells as those from the vegetative leaves, smooth; basal cells rectangular or polygonal, smooth, with thin, hyaline walls, 24-52 x (12-) 16-21 µm. Perichaetia terminal on female branches; inner perichaetial leaves strongly differentiated, usually with a very well-developed hyaline hairpoint and a short green lamina; cell shape and papillosity of lamina and hairpoint as those from vegetative leaves; basal cells hyaline, quadrate or shortly rectangular, small, 5-8 x 5-9 µm. Vaginula naked; seta short, 0.4-0.5 mm, ratio seta:capsule 1:3-4; ochrea as long as seta; capsule hemiemergent, brown, (1.2-)1.6-1.85 mm, when dry and empty cylindrical to ovate-cylindrical, constricted down to the urn base by 8 prominent ribs, ovate-cylindrical with marked ribs when dry and full of spores; capsule mouth surrounded by a ring of 4-6 rows of isodiametric, oval or somewhat oblate cells with incrassate walls, darker and smaller than exothecial cells, 9-19 x 12-21(-25) µm; exothecial cells rectangular, (20-)30-50(-60) x (12-)15-22 µm; exothecial bands narrow, of 2-4 irregular rows of moderately differentiated cells, (38-)45-61(-75) x 17-25 µm; stomata cryptopore, in the middle and lower part of capsule, scarcely to half covered, subsidiary cells little to moderately differentiated; Peristome single, exostome completely lacking; endostome of 16 filiform and curved segments occasionally appendiculate in the lower third, Papillose on both surfaces; main segments biseriate at lower third, intermediate segments uniseriate; connective membrane continuous, papillose, 2 cells high; operculum convex to conical and mamillate to rostrate, brown-yellowish, with a thin darker rim. Calyptra conical, plicate, smooth, with long hairs 'tore abundant in the lower half; hairs bistratose inbasal part, unistratose in upper part, papillose, ending in an acute, usually smooth cell. Spores 18-22 µm, finely papillose.
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Soil humidity 4-12
Soil texture 7-8
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Cultivation

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Distribution

Orthotrichum karoo world distribution map, present in South Africa

Identifiers

LSID 35217977
WFO ID wfo-0001214550
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Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Orthotrichum karoo