| | The moss families (Bryophyta, Musci) of Britain and Ireland |
Excluding Aulacomniaceae
Gametophyte. Acrocarpous; forming tufts. Primary stems erect. Mature plants 10–150 mm high. Plants exhibiting comal tufts of leaves, or without comal tufts. The leaves oblong, or ovate, or narrowly lanceolate to linear, or lingulate; spiral (or detectably 5-ranked, in Paludella). Leaf bases decurrent (e.g., in Paludella), or not decurrent. The leaves single-nerved. The leaf nerves extending beyond the middle of the leaf, but not to the tip. Leaf blade apices obtuse, or pointed; apically rounded, or apically acute, or acuminate. Leaf blade margins proximally involute or incurved to revolute or recurved, or flat; distally dentate. Leaf blades not conspicuously bordered. The basal leaf cells longitudinally much elongated; rectangular; papillose (or mamillose), or smooth. The walls of basal leaf cells thin to thick; straight. The angular cells not well differentiated. The mid-leaf cells more or less isodiametric, or somewhat longitudinally elongated; rectangular, or hexagonal, or rounded; papillose (or mammilose), or smooth. The walls of the mid-leaf cells thin to thick; straight.
Sporophyte. Capsules exserted; more or less inclined; asymmetrical; more or less curved (only slightly so, from an erect neck, in Paludella); clavate, or pyriform, or ellipsoid (Paludella); with an externally conspicuous apophysis. Calyptra asymmetric. Capsules with a peristome. The peristome double. The peristome teeth 16; not deeply cleft; not perforated; thin, membranous, and transversely barred; exteriorly with a fine longitudinal dividing line between the transverse bars. The inner peristome well developed, or reduced; about equalling the outer (Paludella), or exceeding the outer; with elongated “processes”. The processes of the inner peristome 16; alternating with the teeth of the outer peristome. The inner peristome ciliate, or without cilia. The operculum convex. Setae long and slender; straight.
Ecology. In wet places; occurring in basic habitats. In fens, dune slacks, basic montane flushes and rock crevices.
Cytology. Haploid chromosome number, n = 10, 13, 14, 18, and 20.
Representation in Britain and Ireland. 5 species. Amblyodon (Short-tooth Hump-moss), Leptobryum (Golden Thread-moss), Meesia (Hunp-mosses), Paludella (Tufted Fen-moss). Northern Scotland, southern Scotland, northern England, English Midlands, East Anglia, Wales, southeast England, central southern England, southwest England, Isle of Wight, and Ireland.
Classification. Class Bryopsida; Subclass Bryideae; Order Splachnales.
Illustrations. • Amblyodon, Meesia, Paludella: Dixon. MEESIACEAE: D, Amblyodon dealbatus (Hedw.) Br. Eur.; E, Meesia uliginosa Hedw.; F, Paludella squarrosa (Hedw.) Brid.
From Dixon and Jameson (1924), the unscaled screen display approximately doubling the magnifications given with their individual figures. 1, leaf or stem leaf where these differ; 2, branch-leaf; 3, perichaetial leaf; 4, perigonial leaf; 5, capsule; 6, peristome; 7, calyptra; 8, spores; 9, inflorescence; 10, gemmae; 11, paraphyllia; 12, stoma of capsule; *, plant, or part of one. Qualifications: a, apex; b, base; c, cells at one third from the apex; cv, ventral aspect of cells; cd, dorsal aspect of cells; bc, basal cells; x, section. • Leptobryum pyriforme: Dixon. MEESIACEAE: Leptobryum pyriforme (Hedw.) Wils. Formerly referred to Bryaceae.
From Dixon and Jameson (1924), the unscaled screen display approximately doubling the magnifications given with their individual figures. 1, leaf or stem leaf where these differ; 2, branch-leaf; 3, perichaetial leaf; 4, perigonial leaf; 5, capsule; 6, peristome; 7, calyptra; 8, spores; 9, inflorescence; 10, gemmae; 11, paraphyllia; 12, stoma of capsule; *, plant, or part of one. Qualifications: a, apex; b, base; c, cells at one third from the apex; cv, ventral aspect of cells; cd, dorsal aspect of cells; bc, basal cells; x, section. Leptobryum pyriforme. • Meesia uliginosa: Berkeley. MEESIACEAE: Meesia uliginosa Hedw.; a, habit; b, leaf; c, capsule; d, part of peristome; d, spore.
From Berkeley (1863, Plate 16). The approximate 1 cm scale applies to the whole plant (habit) illustration only. • Amblyodon, with Cinclidium and Plagiomnium (Mniaceae): Berkeley. MEESIACEAE: 7, Amblyodon dealbatus (Hedw.) Br. Eur.; a, habit; b, leaf; c, capsule; d, part of peristome, from the outside; e, part of the inner peristome. MNIACEAE: 1, Cinclidium stygium Swartz; a, habit; b, leaf; c, capsule; d, part of the peristome. 2, Plagiomnium cuspidatum (Hedw.) Kop.; a, female plant; b, leaf; c, capsule; d, male plant. 3, Plagiomnium cuspidatum (Hedw.) Kop.; a, habit; b, leaf; c, capsule. 4, Plagiomnium undulatum (Hedw.) Kop.; a, habit; b, leaf; c, capsule. 5, Plagiomnium rostratum (Schrad.) Kop.; a, habit; b, leaf; c, capsule. 6, Rhizomnium punctatum (Hedw.) Kop.; a, habit; b, leaf; c, capsule; d, part of the peristome.
From Berkeley (1863, Plate 17). The approximate 1 cm scale applies to the whole plant (habit) illustrations only. • Leptobryum, with Bryaceae and Orthodontium: Berkeley. MEESIACEAE: 3, Leptobryum pyriforme (Hedw.) Wils.; a, habit; b, leaf; c, capsule. BRYACEAE: 1, Plagiobryum zierii (Hedw.) Lindb.; a, habit; b, leaf; c, leaf cells; d, capsule. 2, Rhodobryum roseum (Hedw.) Limpr.; a, habit; b, leaf; c, capsule; d, part of the outer peristome; e, part of the inner peristome. ORTHODONTIACEAE: 4, Orthodontium gacile Br. Eur.; a, habit; b, leaf; c, calyptra; d, capsule; e, part of the outer peristome.
From Berkeley (1863, Plate 18). The approximate 1 cm scale applies to the whole plant (habit) illustrations only.
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2005 onwards. The moss families (Bryophyta, Musci) of Britain and Ireland. Version: 5th August 2019. delta-intkey.com’.
