Mitthyridium crassum

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

Gemmae characters: gemmae smooth

Margin characters: number of border cell columns evolves from 7 to 30+; margin involute/constricted

Leaf characters: leaf tip rhizoids present

Indel characters: indel 1, 2, 6 and 8 evolve.

Mitthyridium crassum

Range Map

This clade isgenerally rare though known from Australia, the Malay peninsula, and Papua New Guiinea

Description

Lineage: Mitthyridium crassum

Latin name: Mitthyridium crassum (Broth.) Robinson
Synonyms:
Syrrhopodon crassus Broth.
Syrrhopodon wallisii C. Mull.
Mitthyridium wallisii (C. Mull.) Robinson

General description:
Plants medium and usually glossy and pale-green in color, often forming tufts. Branches short under 2 cm. Leaves 2-3 mm long wide with spreading shoulders. The lamina is narrowly lanceolate from a broad base (surrounding cancellinae). The apex and subtending margins are strongly inrolled towards apex and can often be expanded (following forms of the traditionally recognized wallisii). Stereome (border of hyaline cells) is relatively narrow and ends well below the leaf apex. Cancellinae typically occupying 1/2 to 1/3 leaf length and composed of 11-14 cell columns. Sporophytes unknown.

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

The texture of the gemmae is smooth. The cancellinae are on average 12. The cancellinae compose 1/2 of the total leaf (as in its close relative,constrictum). The cancellinae/laminal transition is of the basal form, state 0 (also as in constrictum). Serrations are lacking. Margins are strongly inrolled towards apex.One of the most dianostic features of this clade is its costa in cross section (see specimens 808, 375 and 392), which is strongly elliptical and has 4 guide cells of equal size (where in all other clades in Mitthyridium the number of guide cells of equal size is two, but see constrictum).

Diagnostic phylogenetic characters (synapomorphies and/or autapomorphies) were assessed by optimizing via ACCTRAN morphological characters to the 80 taxon total evidence phylogeny decribed in the Phylomonography&Mitthyridium section bulleted above.