Studies on Colombia cryptogams. I. variation of characters in South American species of Campylopus

This paper is a preliminary account of investigations on species of Campylopus, mainly from the high Andes of Colombia and from adjacent regions. The studies are based on herbarium specimens, field studies and cultural experiments. The genus Campylopus was founded by Bridel (1819) on the basis of a curved seta only and included, therefore, species of Grimmia and other genera. Later he modified his earlier circumscription (Bridel 1826) so that the genus then contained (except for one uncertain species) only species of Campylopus as known today. A subdivision of the genus was made by Limpricht (1886) based on the structure of the costa as seen in cross section: Pseudocampylopus Costa without stereids, ventral layer of large cells, other cells containing chlorophyll with moderately thickened walls. Campylopus Costa with dorsal stereid groups. Palinocraspis Costa with dorsal and ventral groups of stereids.