Lophocolea fragrans (Moris & De Not.) Gottsche, Lindenb. & Nees

Osman, Imen Ben, Hugonnot, Vincent, Muller, Serge D. & Daoud-Bouattour, Amina, 2022, New bryophytes for Tunisia (North Africa). Part 2: other families, Cryptogamie, Bryologie 20 (11), pp. 173-185 : 180

Lophocolea fragrans (Moris & De Not.) Gottsche, Lindenb. & Nees

SPECIMEN EXAMINED. — Tunisia. Kroumiria, Jendouba Governorate, Delegation of Fernana: Oued Zen, with sporophytes, 36°48’43.08”N, 08°50’41.33”E, 394 m a.s.l. (site 2019-20), 04.IV.2019, Ben Osman & Hugonnot (TUN[TUN2019-52]).

REMARKS

Lophocolea fragrans was collected in a wet valley on rocks on the banks of a permanent wadi surrounded by a riparian alder forest. In Europe, this species occurs frequently in shaded conditions in wet areas, on rocks, on tree roots and on woodland floors (Casas et al. 2009; Bosanquet 2014a). This is similar to the habitat in Tunisia where it is accompanied by a variety of strongly oceanic vascular plants such as Athyrium filix-femina (L.) Roth, Carex remota L. and Osmunda regalis L. (Braun-Blanquet 1953).

The species is characterized by its strong aroma of camphor. The leaves are succubous, 3-lobed, usually with strongly dentate margins. The Tunisian specimen has a perianth with one-celled projections on the surface, which recalls Lophocolea muricata (Lehm.) Nees. in this regard ( Schuster 1980). Obviously, the variability of L. fragrans is underestimated.

Lophocolea fragrans is an oceanic southern-temperate species present in Europe including Macaronesia ( Hodgetts & Lockhart 2020), North ( Ros et al. 2013), Central and South Africa (Dauphin et al. 2017).