Ephemerum serratum (Schreb. ex Hedw.) Hampe, 1837

Larraín, Juan, Cano, María J. & Jiménez, Juan A., 2020, New bryophyte records from the Mediterranean region of Chile, Cryptogamie, Bryologie 20 (11), pp. 131-140 : 135-136

Ephemerum serratum (Schreb. ex Hedw.) Hampe

SPECIMENS EXAMINED. — Chile. Región de Valparaíso: Provincia de Valparaíso, Comuna de Valparaíso, Reserva Nacional Lago Peñuelas, en suelo de espinal de Acacia caven , sitio abierto, en suelo del espinal, 33°10’57.7”S, 71°29’13.1”W, 350 m, 13.VII.2016, J. Larraín 40315 (CONC); Comuna de Viña del Mar, Palmar El Salto, entre Siete Hermanas y Rodelillo, matorral abierto al costado de la Ruta Las Palmas, en el suelo, 33°03’58.0”S, 71°31’54.7”W, 257 m, 15.VII.2016, J. Larraín 40329 (CONC); quebrada El Quiteño, bosque de Jubaea chilensis , con Cryptocarya , Peumus y Eucalyptus y retamos introducidos, en el suelo, 33°03’26.7”S, 71°31’04.5”W, 101 m, 21.VII.2016, J. Larraín 40402 (CONC, MUB); Provincia de Petorca, Comuna de Petorca, por ruta E-37-D, junto al Estero Las Palmas, entre Padegua y Palquico, matorral de Talguenea trinervis al costado de la carretera, en suelo desnudo, 32°18’30.8”S, 71°05’55.3”W, 356 m, 27.VII.2017, J. Larraín 41741 (CONC, MUB). Región del Maule: Provincia de Talca, Comuna de Constitución, Junquillar, en fragmento de bosque de Peumus boldus y Quillaja saponaria en ladera oeste, en suelo abierto, 35°15’55”S, 72°20’11”W, 10, 1.IX.2007, J. Larraín 28600C2 (CONC).

REMARKS

The specimens here reported match well the descriptions available of this taxon: the leaves are lanceolate, 1.0- 1.2 mm long, with dentate to weakly serrulated borders, laminal cells smooth, and costa absent. The capsules are less than 500 µm in diameter, with a sharp apiculus, although variable in shape from capsule to capsule, and few stomata in the proximal third of the capsules; the spores are 50-70 µm in diameter, round to oval, brown, dull, coarsely papillose, without a hyaline veil.

The genus Ephemerum has been rarely collected in Chile, with only one known report of the genus for Coquimbo Region ( He 1998). The specimen reported by He (Mahú 21967, MO!) as Ephemerum argentinicum Schiavone & Sarmiento does not correspond to this taxon, although the scarcity of the material did not allow a proper identification.

The only capsule available for examination shows stomata only in the proximal half of the capsule, discarding the possibility it belongs to E. argentinicum , which has stomata throughout the capsule wall ( Schiavone & Sarmiento 1985). It might correspond to E. serratum also, but it did not have mature spores to determine its identity with confidence. More specimens from Coquimbo Region are needed to check these observations.

This taxon is common during the winter months in rainy years, but it seems that its extremely short life cycle has precluded botanists to collect it in the past. It grows in wet, open soil in dry forests and shrubland clearings, between sea level and 350 m a.s.l. Ephemerum serratum was previously known from Europe, North and South Africa, North America and New Zealand ( Crum & Anderson 1981; Sérgio 1982). These are then the first records of the taxon in South America.

A complete description and illustrations of this species are given by Crum & Anderson (1981), Sérgio (1982), and Infante et al. (2010).