B. Papp szerk.: Studia Botanica Hungarica 32. 2001 (Budapest, 2001)
Langangen, A.; Leghari, S. M.: Some charophytes (Charales) from Pakistan
24 mm long, and 0.5-1 times as long as the internodia, with 7-10 segments, endsegment of 1-2 cells and to 0.7 mm long. End-cells acute, to 0.2 mm long. Anterior bract-cells up to 0.75 mm long, bracteoles to twice the length of oogonia, and posterior bract-cells short, papillous. Plants richly fertile. Oogonia 0.85-1.0 mm long, 0.55 mm wide, with 12 spiral cells. Coronula up to 0.2 mm long, and to 0.25 mm wide. Oospores 0.65 mm long, and black. Ripe oospores in November-March. Antheridia 0.3-0.35 mm in diameter. Specimens found in Karakoram at an altitude of 2300 m are so divergent that they are described here: Plants to 25 cm high, with stem diameter to 0.7 mm. Internodes to 4 cm long. Slightly encrusted. Cortex triplostichous, isostichous. Spine-cells are very small to papillous. Stipulodes developed in upper row to 0.1 mm long, papillous in lower row. 7-8 branchlets is each whorl, to 15 mm long, 0.5-1.5 times the length of internodia. Number of segments are 1-3 of which 0-2 are ecorticated. Ecorticated part is up to 10 mm long. Anterior bracts and bracteoles are 1-3 times the length of oogonia, posterior bracts are papillous. The examined plants are monoecious and richly fertile, with some ripe oospores. Gametangia are the most common at the lowest branchlet nodium, independent of whether this is corticated or ecorticated, but are also often found on higher ecorticated nodia. Oogonium 0.75 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, with 11 spiral cells. Coronula is 0.1 mm high and 0.15 mm wide. Oospores black. These specimens belong to the gymnophyllous taxa of Chara globularis/Chara virgata. GROVES and GROVES (1884) described a new variety, C. fragilis var. sturrochii, based on its lack of branchlet cortication from England. According to WOOD (1965) this taxon belongs to Chara vulgaris, because of diplostichous stem cortex. The specimens described here fit best Chara leiopitys Whelden, which is described from Argentina (WHELDEN 1946), but which has golden brown oospores. Other similar taxa are Chara schroederi Migula, which was described from Kenya (MlGULA 1914), and Chara chrysospora J. Groves et E. L. Stephens, which was described from South Africa. Both have brown oospores. The specimens described by us differ from the three other by having black oospores and smaller stipulodes in upper row. The length of the stipulodes in upper row indicate that all belong to Chara virgata rather than C. globularis. We agree with WOOD (1965) when he says: "It is peculiar that such similar forms as this (chrysospora) and f. leiopitys (S. America) occur in isolated continents, but it could be expected to occur occasionally as forms in a world-wide population of C. globularis.'" We are of the opinion that the gymnophyllous forms of C. globularis presumably belong to the same taxon. A revision of the described taxa is needed. Ecology: Freshwater.
