Grimmia texicana sp. nov.

(Grimmiaceae) from Texas and its separation from Grimmia arizonae

Author(s): Henk Greven Source: The Bryologist, 113(2):360-364. 2010. Published By: The American Bryological and Lichenological Society, Inc. DOI: 10.1639/0007-2745-113.2.360 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1639/0007-2745-113.2.360

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Grimmia texicana sp. nov. (Grimmiaceae) from Texas and its separation from Grimmia arizonae
Henk Greven1
Koninginneweg 2, 3941 DP Doorn, The Netherlands
ABSTRACT. Grimmia texicana, a new moss species from Texas and the American southwest, is described. The species is related to G. arizonae but its dense matted habit is distinctly different, readily separating it from the latter species, even in the field. Sporophytes were not found. Grimmia texicana propagates by young shoots, arising from the rhizoids. KEYWORDS. Bryophyta, taxonomy.

On March 15, 2009, the author travelled to Fort Davis, Jeff Davis County, Texas, to study the habitat and habitus of Grimmia americana Bartram, a rare endemic moss, currently known only from three sites. Until 1999, the species was known only from its type locality in Fort Davis in western Texas. A second locality was reported by Munoz (1999) and a third site by Stark et al. (2002). Driving from the North, along route 118, to Fort Davis, Grimmia arizonae Ren. & Card. was found at several localities growing on shaded granite boulders in the forest fringe of the Davis mts. In spite of the luxuriant vegetations of this dioicous species, no sporophytes were found. A few miles north of Fort Davis, huge granite boulders come close to the road and in this locality, the tourist offfice has set up a picnic site with a bench (Fig. 1A). Here, on shaded, north-facing granite walls, the first Grimmia americana cushions were found, some of them with young sporophytes. The next day, I investigated a large number of boulders and rockwalls, detecting that in the dry subtropic climate of western Texas, Grimmia species can only establish themselves and survive on shaded north-facing walls.
1

I found some more localities with G. arizonae and G. americana, and also at two places G. laevigata (Brid.) Brid., a common cosmopolitan species. On March 17, I drove along route 166 to the west and found at about 11 miles from Fort Davis a north-facing rock wall fully covered with Grimmia ssp. (Fig. 1B). Growing along the three above mentioned species were extended populations of G. longirostris Hook. In addition, I found cushions of a hitherto unknown species of Grimmia. Additional material was collected on March 21 at Dripping Springs, New Mexico, east of Las Cruces, in a similar habitat. The species is here described as new and compared to G. arizonae.

Author e-mail: hcgreven@kpnmail.nl DOI: 10.1639/0007-2745-113.2.360

Grimmia texicana H.C. Greven, sp. nov. Figs. 1C3D Dioica. Plantae caespites adherentes arctos formantes, inferne nigrescens, superne viridis. Caulis erecti, usque ad 1.0 cm alta, haud ramosus. Folia caulina in sicco erecto-appressa, in humectato erecto-patentia, ovatolanceolata bistratosa, acuminata, concavacanaliculata, marginibus tantum uno latere anguste revoluto, arista non decurrens denticulata; cellulae laminalis medianae et distalis bistratosa chlorophyllosae, cellulae laminales basales juxta costam

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Greven: Grimmia texana sp. nov.

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Figure 1. A. Picnic site along route 118, close to Fort Davis. B. North-facing granite rockwall, along route 166, 11 miles west of Fort Davis. C. Grimmia texicana,Texas, Jeff Davis Co., associated with G. laevigata (white-hairy plants right side below). D. Cross section stem, showing central strand. E. Crenulate leaf margin. F. Hair-point attached on a broad leaf apex. Scales for fig. 3 5 1 cm; 4 5 0.4 mm; 5&6 5 0.5 mm.

brevi-rectangulares, plerumque parietibus lateralibus incrassatis. TYPE: U.S.A., TEXAS, Jefferson Co., north-facing, slanting, shaded, granite rock along route 166, 11 miles west of Fort Davis, alt. 1717 m, 17 March 2009, Greven Tex. 11 (holotype NY; isotypes: BM, L, PMAE, herbarium H.C. Greven).

Diagnosis. Apparently dioicous. Plants in tight adherent, greyish green, white-hoary mats, blackish below, forming 6 crescent-shaped mats (Fig. 1C). Stems erect, 0.51.0 cm, central strand welldeveloped (Fig. 1D). Leaves loosely appressed when dry, patent when moist, ovate-lanceolate from an ovate base, 2.02.2 3 0.60.8 mm (Fig. 2C), concave-canaliculate; margins same thickness as

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Figure 2. A. Grimmia texicana, habit moistened. B. Grimmia arizonae, habit moistened. C. Grimmia texicana, leaves. D. Basal marginal laminal cells. E. Mid-leaf cells. F. Basal juxtacostal laminal cells. Scale A 5 0.5 cm; B 5 1 cm; C 5 1 mm; DF 5 100 mm.

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Figure 3. AD. Grimmia texicana. Leaf cross sections from apex to the base (from the holotype). Scale A 5 40 mm; B 5 45 mm; C 5 50 mm; D 5 60 mm.

lamina, plane to narrowly recurved on one side, incurved and sometimes crenulate distally (Fig. 1E); hair-point 1.01.4 mm, denticulate, not decurrent, narrowly attached on a broad, concave apex (Fig. 1F); proximal stem leaves brown, muticous or short awned; medial and distal laminal cells bistratose, chlorophyllose, rounded to quadrate, straight, thick-walled (Fig. 2E); basal areolation pellucid and rather uniform, juxtacostal laminal cells rectangular 3040 3 710 mm, thin-walled (Fig. 2F); basal marginal laminal cells in 58 rows quadrate to short-rectangular, 1225 3 1012 mm, straight, with thick transverse and thin lateral walls (Fig. 2D); costa, immersed to somewhat prominent, in basal part with 69 guide cells, supported by 34 stereid bands, towards the apex, the number of guide cells diminishes gradually to four in mid-leaf, here, the stereid bands are replaced by 23 layers of cells with solid walls, in the apex, there are two, finally only one guide cell, supported by two layers of cells with solid walls (Fig. 13AD), in the extreme apex, the costa disappears. The species propagates by young shoots, arising from the rhizoids. Sporophytes not known. Diagnostic characters. (1) Growing in 6 crescent-shaped mats, producing a small band of young shoots at the outside border and a die off at the inner side; (2) stems with prominent central strand, curved when dry, erect when moist; (3) stem leaves ovate lanceolate from an ovate base, concave, margins plane to narrowly recurved on one side; (4) stem leaves patent when moist; (5) hair-points weakly denticulate, not decurrent, narrowly attached on a broad apex; (6) basal juxtacostal cells rectangular, thin- to slightly incrassate-walled; (7) basal marginal cells in 58 rows short-rectangular with thickened transverse walls; (8) costa in basal

part of leaf with 69 guide cells and 34 layers of stereids, disappearing in the extreme apex. Etymology. Named for the state of Texas, where the species was discovered. Additional specimens examined. U.S.A. New Mexico: Las Cruces, Dripping Springs, alt. 1713 m, north-facing granite rock, H.C. Greven Tex 12, 21 March, 2009 (herbarium H. C. Greven); Nevada: two miles west of Las Vegas, s.n., (FH); Oklahoma: Greer Co., North of Altus, 3.2 km west of Quartz mts. State Park, S.P. Churchill 8438, 24 March 1977, (MO); One mile south of Lake Altus, along hwy 44, C.D. Bird 3435, 27 November 1959 (MO). Distribution and ecology. At present, Grimmia texicana is known from western Oklahoma and Texas, westwards to southern Nevada. I have collected it at Fort Davis Co., Texas, and Las Cruces, New Mexico. In these localities, it grows on northfacing, slanting, shaded, granite rock, at elevations of about 1700 m. In my slide collection of North American herbarium material, I found some additional specimens which extended the species range northwards from western Oklahoma and westwards to southern Nevada. It appears that the distribution of G. texicana is similar to that of G. arizonae, covering the southwestern states of the U.S.A. If so, it probably also occurs in Mexico but there are no identified collections from that country. Discussion. Munoz (1999) regarded Grimmia arizonae as a synonym of G. pilifera. Hastings & Greven (2007) retained the two species based on significant morphological differences. Grimmia texicana differs from Grimmia pilifera by the presence of a central strand, non-sheathing leaves, leaf margins not thickened, and hair-points attached on a broad leaf apex. The differences with G. arizonae are

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Table 1. Differences between Grimmia texicana and Grimmia arizonae. G. texicana Habit Stem Leaf shape Leaf shoulders Leaf position Leaf margin Distal areolation Basal costa Basal juxtacostal laminal cells Basal marginal laminal cells adherent mats 0.51.0 cm long, 6 unbranched ovate-lanceolate from ovate base, tapering to broad apex absent patent when moist, not sheathing plane to recurved on one side bistratose 69 guide cells rectangular, with thin to slightly incrassate walls short-rectangular with thickened transverse walls G. arizonae loose tufts 1.03.0 cm long, branched broadly ovate-lanceolate tapering to narrow apex present spreading when moist, sheathing frequently recurved on two sides bi- to tristratose 56 guide cells elongate with incrassate and sinuose walls rectangular with thin transverse walls

summarized in Table 1, with one remark. In the Flora of North America, Vol. 27, Part 1, the basal marginal leaf cells of G. arizonae have thick transverse walls, but this was likely based on specimens of G. texicana that had been treated as G. arizonae, at that time. In G. arizonae (Fig. 2B), the leaves are spreading from a sheathing base, the costa, in the hyaline sheathing part, is smaller (56 guide cells), than that in G. texicana (69 guide cells). In the latter species, the leaves are patent from a non-sheathing base. It is, however, evident that the two taxa are closely related; they occur in the same habitat, have more or less the same color, the same type of hairpoint, and they both have a central strand. Remarkable is their different growthform. In the field, without knowledge or evidence of the leaf cell areolation, one can readily ascertain that two species are present, especially, because they grow under the same ecological conditions, at a few meters distance from each other. The loose tufts with long branched stems of G. arizona (Fig. 2B) differ greatly from the dense mats with short 6 unbranched stems of G. texicana (Fig. 2A). In the vicinity of Fort Davis, G. arizonae is a rather common species, especially on shaded boulders along route 118. However, along this route only G. arizonae and G. laevigata were

found. Grimmia arizonae sometimes grows in extended cushions, covering a large surface of a boulder, but also in dispersed small tufts. Grimmia texicana was only found on the shaded, north-facing, granite wall along route 166, and in a second locality at Dripping Springs near Las Cruces in New Mexico.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I express my gratitude to Roxanne Hastings, Royal Alberta Museum, for her critique on an earlier version of the manuscript, and to two reviewers for useful proposals and comment.

LITERATURE CITED
Hastings, R. I., H. C. Greven. 2007. Grimmia Hedw. Sp. Musc. Frond., 75. 1801. In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (eds.). 2007. Flora of North America North of Mexico 27: 225258. Munoz, J. 1999. A revision of Grimmia (Musci, Grimmiaceae) in the Americas. 1: Latin America. Annales Missouri Botanical Garden 86: 118191. Stark, L. R., A. T. Whittemore & B. D. Mischler. 2002. Noteworthy bryophyte records from the Mojave Desert. Madrono 49: 4953.

ms received June 2, 2009; accepted February 27, 2010.