Dendroligotrichum dendroides Brotherus 1905

Dendroligotrichum dendroides

Dendroligotrichum dendroides (Hedw.) Broth., Nat. Pfl., 1 (3):681, 1905.

Polytrichum dendroides Hedw., Sp. Musc. 102, 1801. [Original material: Straits of Magellan, coll. Commerson, 1767.]

Polytrichum tongariroense Col., Trans. New Zealand Inst. 20:239, 1888. [Original material: New Zealand, base of Mt. Ruapehu, Tongariro Mt. Range, East Taupo Co., 5400 ft, coll. H. Hill, 1887.]

Very large dendroid plants to 40 cm high, erect and rigid. Stipe to 25 cm long, branches 3–8 cm long, some with 2–3 branches. Stipe leaves ca. 9 mm long, sheathing, yellowish brown, oblong-ovate base, 5 mm long, ca. 2.5 mm wide, margins entire, tapering rather abruptly into very slender, serrate tip ca. 4 mm long, basal cells linear-flexuose with thick lateral walls and very thin transverse and oblique end walls, inner cells 17–18 μm wide, 70–150 μm long, gradually narrower and shorter toward margin, at margin ca. 6 μm wide, 50 μm long, upper margin to 25 μm long; narrow subula with lamellae vestigial to totally lacking, lamina cells rectangular, 6–8 μm wide, 25–50 μm long, only marginal cells with thick outer wall, teeth very sharp and slender. Branch leaves to 11 mm long, sheathing bases oblong, ca. 1.5 mm wide, 2 mm long, margins entire, base of linear-lanceolate subula ca. 0.9 mm wide, margins serrate, cells of base elongate, thin-walled, inner cells 7–10 μm wide, 30–100 μm long, becoming narrower to 5 μm wide at margin; blade slightly curved and contorted when dry, spreading when moist; costa with 2–3 separate layers of guide cells, with up to ca. 50 lamellae 2–4 cells high on adaxial surface, lamella cells nonpapillose, ca. 10 μm in diameter, basal row sometimes 15–71 μm in diameter, marginal row not very distinct; cells of narrow lamina rounded-subquadrate, ca. 10 μm wide, mostly 7–10 μm long, walls slightly thickened; each tooth with 2–3 larger or thicker-walled cells, rather blunt. Setae 3–5 cm long. Capsule 5–6 mm long, subcylindrical, exothecial cells not mamillose; peristome teeth on a rather high basal membrane. Spores 10–12 μm in diameter, smooth to very minutely papillose.

MAS AFUERA: Carlos Munoz 790; 3000 ft, Harold Moore 791; Los Innocentes, below summit, ca. 4000 ft, H. & E. 442; Camp Correspondencia, 3800 ft, H. & E. 121, 118, 429, 736b, 794.

The species occurs in Chile, Fuegia, Juan Fernandez, and New Zealand. This large and showy plant is often noticed and collected by non-bryologists.