Chara chrysospora J. GROVES et STEPHENS

Langangen, Anders, 2015, Some Finds Of Charophytes From East-Africa (Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya And Somalia), Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae Series B 71 (3 - 4), pp. 239-248 : 243

Chara chrysospora J. GROVES et STEPHENS

The species has been found in one locality in Tanzania

( Text-fig. 3 ).

Description of specimens examined:

Plants are monoecious and up to 9 cm high (but specimens were partly fragmented) and slightly encrusted. The cortex is triplostichous, isostichous to slightly tylacanthous. Spine cells are single, acute, scattered and from papillous up to 150 µm long. The stipulodes are in two rows, two sets per branchlet. Upper row are with cells up to 250 µm long, lower row are not fully developed, and have cells from papillous up to 50 µm long.

The branchlets are 9–10 in a whorl, and up to 14 mm long, and 1–2x the length of internodes. The branchlets in a whorl are both corticated (1–3 segments) and totally ecorticated. Some whorls have only ecorticated segments. The end segments are 2–4 celled, up to 9 mm long and ecorticated. The end-cells are acute, mucronate and up to 250 µm long. The bract cells are 5–6 in number, anterior 2, bracteoles 2 to 1000 µm long. Bractlets below some of the antheridia, up to 400 µm long. Posterior bract cells are shorter, up to 100 µm long. The gametangia conjoined on the 2–3 lowest branchlet nodes, both corticated and ecorticated. The oogonia are 500–600 µm long. The coronula is connivent, to 100 µm high and 150 µm wide. The oospores are 400 µm long, yellow brown (orange) with 11 ridges ( Text-fig 5 ). Fossa 37.5–45 µm across. The antheridia are 350–450 µm in diameter.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Only found in Africa, in South Africa and Tanzania (this article).

E c o l o g y: Chara chrysospora is a freshwater species, and the studied specimens are found in a river at high altitude (ca. 1500 m).

The examined herbarium specimen is (from EA):

Figures

Text-fig. 3. Distribution of examined species.

Text-fig. 5. Chara chrysospora. Oogonium with orange oospore. Length of oogonium is 400 µm.