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CRYPHAEACEAE

(B.J. O'Shea)

Plants medium sized, forming loose to dense tufts. Primary stems mostly short, creeping, leaves scale-like, often eroded and absent; radiculose. Secondary stems usually stiffly erect, irregularly to regularly pinnately branched. Leaves appressed to imbricate to spreading when dry, erect to erect-spreading when wet, widely ovate- to narrowly-lanceolate, apex acute to acuminate; margins plane to reflexed or recurved, entire to distally serrulate or serrate; costa single, strong; apical cells oval to oblong, median cells oval to oblong or rhomboidal, smooth to slightly prorate, thick-walled; alar region differentiated, cells numerous, quadrate to short rectangular and oblate. Gemmae absent. Autoicous. Perichaetia lateral, leaves differentiated, usually conspicuously longer than stem leaves, sheathing capsules, oblong to obovate and awned. Seta very short, erect, smooth. Capsule immersed, erect, ovoid-cylindrical to broadly ovoid or subglobose, symmetric to asymmetric. Operculum conic-mammillate or -rostrate. Peristome double or single, exostome teeth 16, papillose; endostome absent or present, basal membrane low, segments 16, narrow, keeled and lightly papillose, cilia absent or reduced. Calyptra cucullate or conic-mitrate, smooth or roughened. Spores unicellular, spherical to ovoid, papillose.

Discussion. The Cryphaeaceae contain ten genera and about 80 species of mostly tropical to subtemperate regions; in Africa with two genera and 6 species. Members of the family are commonly epiphytic in montane forests. Distinguishing features include the rather stiffly erect, irregularly branched secondary stems, thick-walled, oval to oblong laminal cells, well differentiated alar cells, and immersed capsules on terminal branches or appearing sessile along lateral stems. Their appearance is quite distinctive, with slender, erect, terete shoots arising from a creeping main stem, on tree trunks or branches, usually with abundant sporogonia. They usually appear as tufts or as a loose mat.

Cryphaea Mohr in F.Weber

Five species in Africa, three endemic (Rao 2001b), and about 30 worldwide (Rao 2001a); distributed in the tropical highlands and extending into temperate regions at much lower altitudes.

Plants forming loose to dense tufts, mostly dark green, occasionally yellowish-green. Secondary stems stiff, to 10 cm long, regularly to irregularly pinnately branched, branches often short, flagellate branches occasional; in cross-section outer 2-5 rows of cells small, thick-walled, inner cells larger, ± thin-walled, central strand absent; pseudoparaphyllia filamentous, uniseriate, to 180 µ m. Leaves ovate to short oblong-lanceolate, 1.5-2.5 mm long, to 1.4 mm wide, apex acute to more often short or long acuminate, base usually slightly clasping stem; margins plane or strongly recurved, entire to serrulate or coarsely and irregularly serrate distally; costa extending just beyond mid-leaf to ending in acumen; upper marginal cells often longer; median cells oval to oblong-oval, smooth or slightly prorate, thick-walled; alar cells subquadrate, thick-walled. Perigonia solitary in leaf axils, bud-like. Perichaetia lateral and appearing sessile, often several in a row on one side of stem, leaves oblong, concave convolute, awn short to long piliferous. Seta very short, to 0.35 mm long. Capsule with urn obloid-cylindrical to cylindrical or ellipsoid, 1.4-2.0 mm long. Operculum conic-short rostrate. Peristome double, exostome usually papillose throughout or smooth at base; endostome basal membrane low, segments finely to coarsely papillose, cilia absent. Calyptra cucullate, smooth or distally papillose-roughened. Spores unicellular, usually papillose.

Habitat. Epiphytic, on trunks, branches or exposed roots of trees and shrubs; usually preferring a humid, cool, relatively high light environment, so most frequent in Africa in montane forests, 1200-3225 m.

Discussion. The genus is characterized by the typically epiphytic, erect habit, the several to somewhat numerous sporophytes borne laterally on very short branches. In practice, it is not always easy to distinguish this genus from Schoenobryum, as the perianth-bearing branches in Schoenobryum are often very short, making them appear lateral, but there will usually be some that are clearly terminal. An additional character is that the perianths in Cryphaea are usually cylindrical, as opposed to oval in Schoenobryum, and Cryphaea is usually much more slender. Plants without sporogonia may be difficult to allocate to genus.

Literature. Rao, P. 2001a. A synopsis of the genus Cryphaea (Cryphaeaceae, Bryopsida). Bryobrothera 7: 1-35. Rao, P. 2001b. Taxonomic studies on Cryphaea (Cryphaeaceae, Bryopsida) 3. Revision of European, African, Australian and Oceanian, and American species. Bryobrothera 7: 37-112 [key to all species + illustrations].

Only one species in Africa (S. concavifolium (Griff.) Gangulee); a genus of probably only 2 species worldwide, with a pantropical distribution.

Plants small to medium sized, forming short loose tufts, light green to yellowish-green or golden. Secondary stems erect, usually regularly pinnate branched, branches short, usually julaceous; in cross-section outer 2-3 rows of cells small, thick-walled, inner cells larger, firm-walled, central strand absent. Leaves closely appressed or sometimes patent, ovate-acuminate (sometimes broadly so), 1.0-1.5 mm long, apex often abruptly short acuminate, base slightly decurrent and clasping at base; margins sometimes flat but usually strongly recurved, entire or weakly dentate-serrulate at apex; costa strong, 1/2-2/3 lamina length, sometimes distally forked; laminal cells thick-walled, apical marginal cells oblong elongate, median cells oval to oblong-oval; inner lower and basal cells elongate, oblong to linear, usually porose, golden-yellow; alar cells irregularly-subquadrate. Perigonia lateral, bud-like, leaves ovate to ovate-short lanceolate. Perichaetia terminal on branch or stem, leaves obovate- to oblong-lanceolate, short to long piliferous. Seta very short. Capsule subglobose-ovoid, 1.2-1.8 mm long, somewhat asymmetric at base; exothecial cells irregularly subquadrate to rectangular, thin-walled; stomata at neck, superficial; annulus revoluble. Operculum rostrate. Peristome single, exostome teeth narrowly lanceolate, papillose. Calyptra mitrate, scabrous, distal cell angles projecting. Spores unicellular, spherical to ovoid, papillose.

Habitat. Occasionally on rock but usually epiphytic on branches, twigs or trunks of trees; usually in the open or light forest, or in denser forests often found on fallen twigs and branches, suggesting an origin in the canopy; 1000-3500 m.

Discussion. The feature of sporophytes borne terminally on stems and branches distinguish this genus from Cryphaea. The name Acrocryphaea was previously applied to the genus. A recent revision (O'Shea, 2003) concluded that only one specimen was present in Africa.

Literature. O'Shea, B.J. 2003. A revision of Schoenobryum (Cryphaeaceae, Bryopsida) in Africa. Tropical Bryology 24: 147-159.