genera of the LEUCOBRYACEAE in texas

The Leucobryaceae family is quite small with just two genera and three species in the state. The genus Leucobryum is dominant with two species, Leucobryum albidum (Brid. ex P. Beauv.) Lindb. and Leucobryum glaucum (Hedw.) Ãngstr. Some authors include Octoblepharum in this family, while others place it in the Octoblepharaceae or the Leucophanaceae. Despite this difference in opinion, Octoblepharum albidum Hedw. has only been collected once in Texas. The specimen was collected in Matagorda County in 1938.

LEUCOBRYUM - Leucobryum albidum is a very common species found on soil, rotten logs, and decaying tree stumps throughout much of central and east Texas. The distinctive light green appearance of the leaves is due to the unique morphology of the leaves. In cross-section, the leaves consist of upper and lower layer(s) of larger hyaline cells which enclose the much smaller chlorophyllose cells. The leaves are subtubulose and erect to spreading when moist. The plants form dense colonies of tightly compacted stems. Sporophytes are rare.

OCTOBLEPHARUM - Octoblepharum albidum is extremely rare in Texas. This is a good species to be “on the lookout for” in the Texas coastal plain on oak and palmetto trunks. The leaves have a similar internal morphology to L. albidum but the leaves are long and flattened (strap shaped) as opposed to the shorter erect leaves of L. albidum. This is a pantropical species which is only known in North America from Florida, Louisiana, and the one location in Texas.