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| The moss families (Bryophyta, Musci) of Britain and Ireland |
~Dicranaceae
Gametophyte. Acrocarpous (always?); forming tufts, or forming patches, or the plants scattered. Mature plants 1–100 mm high. Plants exhibiting comal tufts of leaves, or without comal tufts. Shoots complanate, or not complanate. Stems not tomentose. The leaves neither sphagnoid nor leucobryoid. The leaves not distichous; spiral; single-nerved. The leaf nerves extending beyond the middle of the leaf, but not to the tip to extending to the leaf tip; excurrent to not excurrent (sometimes percurrent); without stereids. Leaf blade apices not hyaline. The basal leaf cells somewhat longitudinally elongated to longitudinally much elongated; rectangular to linear; smooth. The angular cells not well differentiated. The mid-leaf cells more or less isodiametric to longitudinally much elongated; quadrate to linear; smooth.
Plants monoecious, or dioecious (commonly); when monoecious, autoecious, or paroecious.
Sporophyte. Capsules immersed to emergent (in Blindia caespiticia only), or exserted (the rest); erect, or inclined; symmetrical, or asymmetrical; straight, or curved; when asymmetric, often gibbous, or ovoid, or pyriform, or sub-cylindric; with an externally conspicuous apophysis (occasionally), or without an externally conspicuous apophysis (mostly). The apophysis remaining smooth. Capsules smooth, or striate and becoming regularly furrowed when dry and empty (Brachydontium trichodes, as illustrated by Smith); with an annulus, or without an annulus; dehiscing via a lid; with a peristome, or without a peristome (e.g., Blindia caespiticia). The peristome when present, i.e. usually, single. The peristome teeth when present, 8, or 16; not grouped; deeply cleft (often almost to the base, into 32 divisions), or not deeply cleft (e.g., Seligeria); thin, membranous, and transversely barred; when present and not completely cleft, interiorly exhibiting a fine longitudinal dividing line between the transverse bars. The operculum rostellate to subulate. Setae short to long; curved, or straight.
Ecology. Saxicolous. Saxicolous.
Cytology. Haploid chromosome number, n = 11, 12, 13, and 14 (Blindia not recorded).
Representation in Britain and Ireland. 16 species. Blindia, Brachydontium (Bristle-leaf), Seligeria (Rock-bristle Mosses; including Trochobryum). 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 Dicranideae; Order Seligeriales.
Illustrations. • Seligeria, with Ditrichaceae. SELIGERIACEAE: K, Seligeria donniana (Smith) G. Müll.; S. pusilla (Hedw.) Br. Eur.; S. acutifolia Lindb. DITRICHACEAE: A, Pleuridium subulatum (Hedw.) Lindb.; B, Trichodon cylindricus (Hedw.) Grout; C, Ditrichum pusillum (Hedw.) Hampe; E, Ditrichum lineare (Sull.) Hampe; F, Ditrichum zonatum (Brid.) Limpr.; G, Ditrichum subulatum Hampe; H, Ditrichum flexicaule (Schimpe) Hampe; I, Distichium capillaceum (Hedw.) Br. Eur.; J, Distichium inclinatum (Hedw.) P. Beauv.
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. • Brachydontium and Seligeria spp. (with Ditrichaceae and Rhabdoweisiaceae): Dixon. SELIGERIACEAE: A, Seligeria trifaria (Brid.) Lindb.; B, Seligeria calycina Mitt. ex Lindb.; C, Seligeria calcarea (Hedw.) Br. Eur.; D, Seligeria recurvata (Hedw.) Br. Eur.; E, Brachydontium trichodes (Web.) Milde. DITRICHACEAE: F, Saelania glaucescens (Hedw.) Broth.; G, Ceratodon purpureus (Hedw.) Brid. ssp. purpureus; H, Ceratodon purpureus ssp. conicus (Hampe) Dix. RHABDOWEISIACEAE: I, Rhabdoweisia fujax (Hedw.) Br. Eur.; J, Rhabdoweisia crispata (With.) Lindb.; K, Rhabdoweisia crenulata (Mitt.) Jameson; L, Oreoweisia bruntonii (Sm.) Milde; M, Cynodontium poycarpon (Hedw.) Schimp.; N, Cynodontium strumiferum (Hedw.) De Not.
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. • Blindia, with Dicranaceae and Rhabdoweisiaceae: Dixon. SELIGERIACEAE: G, Blindia caespiticium (Web. & Mohr) C. Müll.; H, Blindia acuta (Hedw.) Br. Eur. RHABDOWEISIACEAE: F, Dichodontium palustris (Dicks.) M. Stech. I, Dicronoweisia cirrata (Hedw.) Lindb. ex Milde; J, Dicranoweisia crispula (Hedw.) Milde. DICRANACEAE: A, Dicranella subulata (Hedw.) Schimp.; B, Dicranella rufescens (With.) Schimp.; C, Dicranella varia (Hedw.) Schimp.; D, Dicranella grevilleana (Brid.) Schimp.; E, Dicranella schreberana (Hedw.) Dix. K, Campylopus subulatus Schimp.; L, Campylopus schimperi Milde.
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. • Blindia Brachydontium and Seligeria (with Rhabdoweisia and Weissia): Berkeley. SELIGERIACEAE: 1, Blindia acuta (Hedw.) Br. Eur.; a, habit; b, leaf; c, detail of leaf tip; d, capsule; e, capsule without lid; f, part of peristome. 2, Seligeria calcarea (Hedw.) Br. Eur.; a, habit; b, plant enlarged; c, leaf (an unusually broad example); d, capsule; e, part of peristome. 3, Brachydontium trichodes (Web.) Milde; a, habit; b, plant more enlarged; c, leaf; d, calyptra; e, capsule; f, lid of capsule; f, part of peristome and the ring outside it, viewed from within. RHABDOWEISIACEAE: 5, Rhabdoweisia crispata (With.) Lindb.; a, habit; b, leaf; c, capsule; d, part of peristome. POTTIACEAE: 6, Weissia controversa Hedw.; a, habit; b, leaf; c, capsule; d, part of peristome. 7, Weissia squarrosa (N. & H.) C. Müll.; a, habit; b, plant more enlarged; c, leaf; d, capsule; e, mouth of capsule.
From Berkeley (1863, Plate 24). 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’.
