6 liverwort taxa and 21 moss taxa were collected at or near Lalibela, Wolo Province, Ethiopia, on 1-2 March 1997, of which 12 moss taxa are new to the country

Wigginton, Martin J.

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27TROPICAL BRYOLOGY 20  (2001)A small collection of bryophytes from EthiopiaTropical Bryology 20:27-29, 2001A small collection of bryophytes from EthiopiaM.J. Wigginton36 Big Green, Warmington, Peterborough, PE8 6TU, United KingdomAbstract.   6 liverwort taxa and 21 moss taxa were collected at or near Lalibela, Wolo Province,Ethiopia, on 1-2 March 1997, of which 12 moss taxa are new to the country.INTRODUCTIONA few collections, comprising 6 taxa of liverwortsand 21 taxa of mosses, were gathered by theauthor at or near Lalibela, Wolo Province, on 1-2 March 1997, during a lull in an otherwisenatural history and cultural tour of northernEthiopia.  Most of the taxa listed below arepublished for the first time from Wolo, and 12mosses are new to Ethiopia (O’Shea, 1999).  Allcollections are from the 1 minute latitude /longitude square, 12°01’N, 39°01’E, and in thespecies list, the site is denoted by its number insquare brackets.  Identifications have been madeby the author, unless otherwise indicated.  Theknown African distribution is given for eachtaxon.  Collections marked (E) will be held atthe Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh.Site details and collection date:[1]  1.5 km N.E. of Lalibela, 2700 m, 1 March1997.[2]  by Bet Gabriel-Rufa’el, Lalibela, 2630 m, 1March 1997.[3]  near Bet Gabriel-Rufa’el, Lalibela, 2630 m,2 March 1997[4]  by Bet Emanuel, 2630 m, 1 March 1997.[5]  head of small valley where spring emergesfrom hillside, ca. 1.5 km E. of Lalibela, 2590 m,2 March 1997.* = Species new to EthiopiaLIVERWORTSAnthoceros sp.  Soil bank by path on grassyhillside [1], Wigginton 97/8e (E).  Thoughfertile, with some spores remaining in old anddehisced capsules, this plant is impossible toname to species in the present state of ourknowledge of Anthoceros in Africa.Lunularia cruciata (L.) Dumort.  Shaded,vertical walls of cut rock, with Plagiochasmaspp. [2], Wigginton 97/10b.  Previouslyrecorded from Ethiopia (north); widespread inAfrica from the Mediterranean countries tosouthern Africa.Plagiochasma eximium (Schiffn.) Steph.  Open28TROPICAL BRYOLOGY 20  (2001)Wiggintonsoil on grassy hillside, with Targioniahypophylla [1], Wigginton 97/8c (E); shaded,vertical walls of cut rock [2], Wigginton 97/11a (E).  Several previous collections from N.and E. Ethiopia; widespread in Africa, fromEritrea to South Africa.Plagiochasma microcephalum var.microcephalum (Steph.) Steph.  Shaded,vertical walls of cut rock, growing with P.rupestre var. rupestre [2], Wigginton 97/10a(E).  Previously recorded C. and E. Ethiopia,ranging south to South Africa.Plagiochasma rupestre var. rupestre (J.R. &G.Forst.) Steph.  Shaded and sheltered verticalwalls of cut rock [4], Wigginton 97/7a (E).Several previous records from Ethiopia;widespread in Africa, from the Mediterraneancountries south to South Africa.Targionia hypophylla L.  Open soil on grassyhillside, with Plagiochasma eximium [1],Wigginton 97/8b (E); soil on rock outcrop [2],Wigginton 97/9b (E).  Previously recordedfrom N. and C. Ethiopia; widespread in Africa,from the Mediterranean countries to SouthAfrica.MOSSESAnomobryum julaceum var. julaceum(P.Gaertn. et al.) Schimp.  On exposed rockswith Pseudocrossidium replicatum andTortula muralis [3], Wigginton 97/6d (E).Widespread in mainland Africa, with severalprevious records from Ethiopia; also inMadagascar.*Barbula convoluta var. convoluta Hedw.  Soilbank on grassy hillside [1], Wigginton 97/8d(E).  Local in central and southern Africa.*Bryoerythrophyllum campylocarpumMüll.Hal.  Soil bank on grassy hillside [1],Wigginton 97/8k, conf. H.W. Matcham (E).Widespread in tropical and southern Africafrom Chad and Ethiopia southwards; also inRéunion.Bryum argenteum Hedw.  Soil bank on grassyhillside [1], Wigginton 97/8a (E).  Previousrecords from N. Ethiopia; widespreadthroughout Africa, and on the E. Africanislands.*Bryum apiculatum Schwaegr.  Damp andshaded rocks under overhang by periodicwaterfall in deep cleft [5], Wigginton 97/2a(E).  Widespread in Africa from Ethiopiasouthwards, with a possible record fromEgypt; also from the E. African islands.Bryum pseudotriquetrum var.pseudotriquetrum (Hedw.) P.Gaertn, B.Mey& Scherb.  On damp, basic rocks underoverhang in deep gully by small spring [5],Wigginton 97/12c, det. H.W. Matcham (E).Dioicous; female inflorescences present.Previously recorded in Ethiopia from the BaleMountains, and elsewhere in Africa inscattered localities south to South Africa.Bryum torquescens Bruch ex De Not.  Soil bankon grassy hillside [1], Wigginton 97/8m (E).Synoicous plant, sporophyte present.Previously recorded from C. Ethiopia;widespread in N. and southern Africa, with afew records from tropical E. Africa.*Cratoneuron filicinum var. filicinum Hedw.Encrusted with tufa, on damp rocks underoverhang in deep gully by small spring [5],Wigginton 97/12a, conf. R. Ochyra (E).Apparently local in Africa, with other recordsonly from Algeria, Morocco, Kenya,Tanzania, Uganda and South Africa (Natal).Didymodon australasiae var. australasiae(Hook. & Grev.) R.H.Zander  Soil bank ongrassy hillside [1], Wigginton 97/8j, det. P.Sollman (E).  Previously recorded in Ethiopiafrom the Bale Mountains; also known fromsouthern Africa.*Didymodon rigidulus var. gracilis (Schleich.ex Hook. & Grev.) R.H.Zander  Soil bankon grassy hillside [1], Wigginton 97/8h (E).In Africa, previously known from theMediterranean countries, and from Sudan andKenya.*Didymodon tophaceus (Brid.) Lisa  Damp,basic rocks under overhang in deep gully bysmall spring, with Bryum pseudotriquetrumand Eucladium verticillatum [5], Wigginton97/12h, conf. H.W. Matcham.  Widespreadspecies in N. Africa, recorded also in the CapeVerde islands, Chad, D.R. Congo and SouthAfrica.*Eucladium verticillatum (Brid.) Bruch,Schimp. & W.Gümbel  Encrusted with tufa,on damp rocks under overhang in deep gully29TROPICAL BRYOLOGY 20  (2001)A small collection of bryophytes from Ethiopiaby small spring and periodic waterfall [5],Wigginton 97/5a, 97/12d, det. H.W. Matcham(E).  Most of the collection consists of plantsin which many leaves lack the recurved, basal,marginal teeth which usually provides one ofthe most diagnostic characters of the species.Furthermore, in many leaves, papillae areoften sparse, or sometimes lacking.  Fairlywidespread in N. Africa, including Chad, Maliand Soqotra; elsewhere only from D.R. Congo,Rwanda and Tanzania.*Fissidens schmidii Müll.Hal.  Soil bank ongrassy hillside [1], Wigginton 97/8f, det. M.A.Bruggeman-Nannenga (E).  Recorded fromW. and E. tropical Africa.Gymnostomum calcareum Nees & Hornsch.On damp, basic rocks under overhang in deepgully by small spring [5], Wigginton 97/12e,conf. H.W. Matcham (E).  Although thisspecies is not listed from Ethiopia in O’Shea(1999), a collection from Ethiopia (Schimper1117, 1 September 1861 [BM]) was publishedin Whitehouse & Crundwell (1992).  Local inN. Africa, with records also from Chad,Malawi and Lesotho.Philonotis sp.  On damp, basic rocks underoverhang in deep gully by small spring, withBryum pseudotriquetrum, Didymodontophaceus, Eucladium verticillatum [5],Wigginton 97/3a (Hb. M.J.Wigginton).Characters of this species include: shoots quitestrongly quinequefarious; leaves narrowlylanceolate, spreading, at times somewhatfalcate, arranged in (gradually) spiral rows,sharply serrate – to the base; leaf cells withprominent papillae situated only at the distalend of the cells (prominently prorate); costakinked or somewhat undulate.  Though adistinctive plant, I have been unable to nameit.*Platyhypnidium riparioides (Hedw.)M.Fleisch.  Encrusted with tufa, on damprocks under overhang in deep gully by smallspring [5], Wigginton 97/12b, det. R. Ochyra(E).  This record provides a geographical linkbetween records from northern and E. tropicalAfrica.Pleurochaete squarrosa var. squarrosa (Brid.)Lindb.  Soil bank on grassy hillside [1],Wigginton 97/8g (E).  Two other species, P.beccarii Venturi and P. malacophylla(Müll.Hal.) Broth., have been recorded fromneighbouring Eritrea.  However, Zander(1993) considered the former to be probablysynonymous with P. squarrosa, and the latterdoubtfully distinct from it; collection 97/8ghas not been compared with specimens ofeither.  P. squarrosa has been previouslyrecorded from central Ethiopia; elsewhere inAfrica from the Mediterranean countries andfrom Djibouti, Soqotra, Kenya and Tanzania.*Pseudocrossidium replicatum var. replicatum(Taylor) R.H.Zander  On exposed rocks [3],Wigginton 97/6e, conf. H.W. Matcham (E).Recorded from Sudan (Jebel Marra), Somaliaand southern Africa.Syntrichia fragilis (Taylor) Ochyra  On exposedrocks [3], Wigginton 97/6a (E).  Previouslyrecorded in E. and S. Ethiopia, and widespreadin Africa.*Timmiella barbuloides (Brid.) Mönk.  Soil onrock outcrop [2], Wigginton 97/9a (E).  Fertile,with paroicous inflorescences present.  InAfrica, confined to northern countries,including Djibouti and Eritrea.*Tortula muralis var. muralis Hedw.  Onexposed rocks [3], Wigginton 97/6c, det. H.W.Matcham (E).  Otherwise known in Africaonly from the Mediterranean countries,Namibia and South Africa.AcknowledgementsMy grateful thanks to M.A. Bruggeman-Nannenga,H.W. Matcham, R. Ochyra and P. Sollman foridentifying or confirming some collections.ReferencesO’Shea, B.J. 1999. Checklist of the mosses of sub-Saharan Africa (version 3, 11/99). TropicalBryology Research Reports 1: 1-133.Whitehouse, H.L.K. & Crundwell, A.C. 1992.Gymnostomum calcareum Nees & Hornsch. and G.viridulum Brid. in Europe, North Africa and theMiddle East. British Bryological Society Bulletin 59:35-50.Zander, R.H. 1993. Genera of the Pottiaceae: mossesof harsh environments. Bulletin of the BuffaloSociety of Natural Sciences, Volume 32. Buffalo,N.Y.30TROPICAL BRYOLOGY 20  (2001)Wigginton

A small collection of bryophytes from Ethiopia

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