Colura leratii (Steph.) Steph.

Singh, Sushil Kumar, Pócs, Tamás, Singh, Devendra & Kumar, Shashi, 2020, A synopsis of Colura (Dumort.) Dumort. (Marchantiophyta: Lejeuneaceae) in India, Cryptogamie, Bryologie 20 (10), pp. 111-129 : 120

Colura leratii (Steph.) Steph. ( Figs 5 A-R, 8F)

Species Hepaticarum 5: 939 (1916).

SPECIMEN EXAMINED. — India. Mizoram, Lawngtlai, Ngengpui Wildlife Sanctuary, 22°29’49.7’’N, 92°46’33.1’’E, 138 m, 01.XII.2012, S. K. Singh & Party 127619E (ASSAM).

OTHER SPECIMEN EXAMINED. — Colura ornata K.I. Goebel , Indonesia, Java Occ., Res. Batavia, G. Salak, in silvis primigeniis ad decl., c. 1000 m, XII.1893, V. Schiffner 151 (CAL).

HABITAT. — Foliicolous, growing in association with Cololejeunea nilgiriensis , Leptolejeunea elliptica , L. epiphylla , L. udarii , Radula acuminata , in relatively less moist places at elevation of about 150 -700 m a.s.l.

DISTRIBUTION. — India [Karnataka, Mizoram-present study ( Singh et al. 2016)], Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Australia ( Pócs & Streimann 2006; Söderström et al. 2010; Chuah-Petiot 2011; Söderström et al. 2011; Thouvenot et al. 2011).

DESCRIPTION

Plants

Light green when fresh, pale yellowish in herbarium; shoots 6-9 mm long, 1.8-2.2 mm wide including leaves, irregularly branched.

Stem

In cross section orbicular in outline, 75-102 µm, 4 cells across diameter; cortical cells 7, subquadrate, 17.5-45.0 × 12.5-37.5 µm; medullary cells 3, subquadrate-polygonal, 15.0-22.5 × 10.0-17.5 µm; ventral merophyte 1-2 cells wide.

Rhizoids

Numerous at the base of underleaves.

Leaves

Imbricate-contiguous, occasionally distant, widely spreading; leaf lobes obovate, 0.52-1.27 mm long, 0.10-0.32 mm wide, margin irregularly dentate-spinose, dorsal margin arched, ventral margin straight, sometime constricted at middle, apex rounded; marginal leaf cells towards apex subquadrate-polygonal, 15.0-35.0× 10.0-22.5 µm; median leaf cells subquadrate to hexagonal-polygonal, 30.0 57.5 × 17.5-27.5 µm; basal leaf cells hexagonal-polygonal, 27.5-60.0 × 15.0-30.0 µm, cells with cordate-nodulose, intermediate nodular thickenings 1-3 per cell wall; cuticle smooth; leaf lobules narrowly tubular, º⁄3 as long as leaf lobe or slightly longer or sometimes reduced, somewhat flaring toward prolonged conical sac, lateral margin usually slightly incurved, apex acute; valve elliptical, 130.0- 145.0 × 112.5-117.5 µm, with 18-21 median cells surrounded by a ring of 22-24 hyaline cells.

Underleaves

Distant, 3-4 times as wide as the stem, 0.23-0.28 mm long, 0.22-0.35 mm wide, deeply bilobed, sinus wide, lobes linear-lanceolate, 7-10 cells long, 3-8 cells uniseriate towards apex, 2-3 cells wide at base, margin entire.

Gemmae

Absent.

Androecia and gynoecia

Not seen.