Mitthyridium jungquilianum

Click the yellow dot to see these synapomorphies (click any yellow dot to see a clade's characters)

Cancellinae characters:
Cancellinae cell columns evolve from17 - 28

Gemmae characters: gemmae present.

Costa characters: abaxial epidermis evolves

Indel characters: indel 5 evolves.

Mitthyridium jungquilianum

Range Map

This clade is found throughout Southeast Asia and on the western Pacific islands. It is very common in New Caledonia.

Description

Lineage: Mitthyridium jungquilianum

Latin name: Mitthyridium jungquilianum (Mitt.) Robinson
Synonyms:
Syrrhopodon jungquilianus Mitt.

General description:
Plants small-medium and usually pale green or yellow-green in color. Branches up to 2 cm long, but are often less. Leaves to 3 mm long, and only about 0.6 mm wide at its widest point; no appreciable shoulders are present. The lamina is linear-lanceolate with an acute apex. Stereome (border of hyaline cells) present only at the very base of the leaf around the cancellinae. The cancellinae are composed of between 15 and 19 cell columns, more than its close relative and sister lineage, M. subluteum. ). Cancellinae are very short typically occupying 1/5-/17 the total leaf length. Costa ending just below the apex. Laminal cells small (5-7 mm wide). Papillae are small and few or not present at all. Sporophytes rare.

The lineages that compose this clade, m384, m398, m364, m365, and m218 are the most distinctively "jungquilianum." The lineages that are its close relatives have a suite of morphological characters that grade into what feaures distinguish subluteum. It is likely that the confusion surounding identification of subluteum and jungquilianum will continue.

Diagnostic phylogenetic characters: [move the cursor over the image to view the morphological matrix]

The characters that differentiate this lineage from its closest relatives, subluteum, luteum and perundulatum are few. Still its distinctness as a unique monophyletic group is sufficient to warrant a name. The % cancellinae in jungquilianum is smaller than its relatives, often 1/6 rather than 1/5 (found in subluteum) and the amount of the leaf occupied by the distinct stereome is typically less, 1/7 rather than 1/6th of the total leaf length.

General phylogenetic characteristics of the "luteum complex":
All of the groups in this linear leaf "luteum complex" (subluteum, jungquilianum, luteum, and perundulatum) except perundulatum have small cancellinae that occupy no more than 1/5-1/7 the total leaf length. All have state 1 for the shape of the transition from cancellinae to lamina. All except luteum have extensive serrations along the leaf margin. All have very few border cell columns (approximately 7 or less). All except perundulatum have a border that does not widen into the stereome characteristic of Mitthyridium until the very base of the leaf (state 5 or 6). All except perundulatum have an acute leaf apex.