Studies in the liverwort genus Fossombronia ( Metzgeriales ) from southern Africa . 7 . F . capensis var . spiralis , a new variety from Western Cape

Fossom bronia capensis S.W.Amell var. sp ira lis Perold, var. nov. from Western Cape is described. It is distinguished from the typical variety by a suite of characters, the most obvious being the strong spirals in the elaters. In F. capensis var. capensis the spirals are weak except for two Arnell collections in which they are quite strong. Subtle differences in spore ornam entation are then, perhaps, the most definitive character to separate the two varieties.

in an am endm ent to F. capensis S.W.Arnell, m ade the follow ing statem ent: 'All F. capensis specim ens from the G eorge/K nysna/Brackenfell/Gouna and Deep Walls Forest and Diep River areas have poor ly formed elaters.C ollections from the nearby Bloukrans Pass (Liihenau-N estlé SA 139/2 and S.M. Perold 3534,[3539][3540][3541] have elaters with well-formed spirals, but have been referred here because the spores and plants are closely sim ilar'.
I have since com e to the conclusion that the collections from Bloukrans Pass and others like it from elsewhere, should rather be separated as a variety of F. capensis.
F o sso m b ro n ia cap en sis S.W .A m ell var.sp iralis Perold.var.nov.
Fossombronia capensis var.spiralis is restricted to the winter rainfall area of South Africa, namely Western Cape (Figure 4).This is referred to as the Fynbos Biome-sclerophyllous, microphyllous vascular plant vegetation- (Cowling et al. 1997;Rutherford 1997) or else the area is called the Cape Region-phytogeographic region based on the distribution of vascular plants- (Cowling & Hilton-Taylor 1997).The plants under discussion grow on soil at streambanks, on damp vertical earth walls at roadsides or pathways, near waterfalls, at seepages or at grotto entrances and are apparently more widespread than the typical variety, which has now, for the first time, also been collected at Kirstenbosch (Perold 3955), besides the localities in the southern Cape previously reported (Perold 1997).The new variety is distinguished by: the fairly large, mostly entire leaves; the slightly smaller male plants bearing 1 or 2 rows of perigonial bracts which are less crowded than those in var.capensis; the generally undulating margin of the pseudoperianths; the cells in the capsule wall with more numerous semi-annular bands; the spore surface on the distal face with very uneven and rough, often rather poorly developed lamellae; and the elaters with well-formed, strong spirals.The latter char acter (with rare exceptions) is the most obvious in sepa rating the two varieties and the choice of epithet, 'spi ralis', for this new variety draws attention to this feature.However, the SEM micrograph of the elaters from F. capensis var.capensis, Arnell 1477 (G) in Perold (1997: fig.3F), shows rather stronger spirals than are usually encountered in the typical variety, but the spirals appear mostly quite pale and poorly stained, when examined under a compound microscope.Two Arnell specimens, 1715 and 1716, collected in the Gouna Forest and listed in the above publication, but not singled out, have quite strong, well-stained spirals, although the spore ornamen tation.probably still the most definitive character, is clearly that of F. capensis var.capensis.A suite of char acters must necessarily be employed for a reliable separa tion of the two varieties of F. capensis.S.M. Perold 2746 pp., 3394. 3407. 3534, 3539-3541, 3X14, 3X16(b), 3X17, 3X30, 3X5X, 3X77 (sterile), 3X99, 3905 (holotype), 3979, 39X0.

FIGURE 1 .
FIGURE 1.-Fossombronia capensis var.spiralis.A -E , male leaves; F-J, female leaves; K, detail o f upper leaf margin; L, median leaf cells with oil bodies (solid lines) and chloroplasts (dotted lines); M, c/s apical part o f female stem; N, c/s basal part o f female stem; O, c/s apical part o f male stem; P, c/s basal part o f male stem; Q-T, perigonial bracts; U, pseudopenanth from side; V, opened pseudopenanth; W, c/s seta; X, cells in capsule wall.A -K , M -X , S M .Perold 3905\ L, S.M. Perold 3899.Scale bars: A-J, U, V, 500 pm; K, W, 100 pm; L, X, 50 Mm; M-P, Q -T, 250 Mm.