Lab 12: Bryophytes :

Mosses and Liverworts

(and hornworts)
 Bryophytes

• Plants without well developed vascular systems.

• Sporophyte (diploid generation) is attached to and dependent on the

gametophyte for the entire life cycle.

• The gametophyte is the leafy part. The sprophyte is the spore bearing
part.

• Used to be one phyllum (Bryophyta). Now three: Bryophyta (mosses),

Hepatophyta (liverworts), and Anthoceraphyta (hornworts)
Comparison of Moss Mosses: Class Bryophyta
• Gametophytes are leafy.
• Sporophytes have capsules on the
and Liverwort end of stalks (setae).

Characteristics
Prepared by : Barbara Crandall-Stotler, Department of
Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University, Leafy liverworts: Class
Carbondale, IL 62901-6509 Jungermanniidae
• Gametophytes have leaves without
costa (midvein)
• Leaves inserted at angle to stem.
• Leaves in 2-3 rows.
• Sporophyte has a transluscent stalk,
capsule black and egg-shaped

Thalloid liverworts: Class

Marchantiophyta
• Flat thallus
• Umbrella-shaped structure on
gametophyte is a carpocephalum.
• Sporophyte is hidden under the
carpocephallum.

Photos: Natural perspective website:http://www.perspective.com/nature/plantae/bryophytes.html

 Moss life cycle

Sporophyte

Gametophyte
 Acrocarpous vs. pleurocarpous mosses
Acrocarpus:
• erect growth form
• non branching
• terminal archegonia and
fruiting bodies

Pleurocarpus:
• branched morphology
• fruiting bodies in axils of
lateral branches

Polytrichum commune

Hyocomium armoricum
 Moss Capsules:

http://www.hiddenforest.co.nz/bryophytes/mosses/photos/intro06.htm
 Campylium stellatum (Hedw.) Lindb.

Family: Amblystegiaceae

Common Name:
Star Campylium Moss

• Pleurocarpus.
• Has bristly appearance of bottle-brush.
• Single stem and squarrose (at right angles to the
stem) somewhat contorted (when dry) leaves.
• Occurs in wet calcareous fens.

Plants of the Western Boreal Forest & Aspen Parkland,

by Johnson and Kershaw

http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/bryophytes/speciesphoto/CAMSTE.jpg
 Drepanocladus uncinatus (Hedw.) Warnst.
(= Sanonia uncinata)
Family: Amblystegiaceae

Common Name:
Sanionia Moss or
Sickle Moss

Plants of the Western Boreal Forest & Aspen Parkland,

by Johnson and Kershaw

• Falcate secund leaves (turned to one side and

strongly curved).
• Pleurocarpus.
• Plicate (pleated lengthwise) leaves with drawn out
fine point.
• Often in pure mats, having a shiny golden color (in
dry situations).
• Often found in drier areas, calcareous soils.
http://www.borealforest.org
 Scorpidium scorpioides (Hedw.) Limpr.
Family: Amblystegiaceae

Common Name:
Scorpidium Moss

Baldellia ranunculoides, Scorpidium scorpioides,

Potamogeton gramineus, Eleocharis multicaulis,
Eleogiton fluitans, Littorella uniflora.

http://users.bathspa.ac.uk/watd2/veglist.html

• Grows in submerged aquatic calcareous habitats.

• Pleurocarpus.
• Flacate secund leaves.
• Very dark colored, often black leaves.
http://home.clara.net/adhale/bryos/sscorpio.htm • Plants can be very large.
• Distinguished from Drepanocladus by lack of costa
(central midvein of leaves)
 Tomentypnum nitens
Family: Brachytheciaceae

Common Name:
Tomentypnum Moss

http://www.floraislands.is/MOSAR/tomennit1m.jpg

• Common most abundant moss in moist fens, nonacidic soils.

• Pleurocarpus
Tomentypnum nitens-Trichophorum • Soft appearance with golden color.
caespitosum community. • Leave strongly plicate and acuminate (sharply pointed).
• Stems covered in reddish brown tomentum.
Photo from http://www.geobotany.uaf.edul
 Aulacomnium palustre (Hedw.) Schwaegr.
Family: Aulacomniaceae

Common Name:
Aulacomnium Moss

• http://www.geog.ubc.ca/richmond/city/bryophytesphotos.html

• Often with bright yellow green leaves.

• Pleurocarpus,erect, upright branches
• Leaves sharp pointed, serrulate (minutely regularly toothed) at
the tip.
• Leaves twist when dry.
• Reddish brown tomentum on stem.
• Occurs in neutral to acidic habitats, moist sites, often mixed with

Photo and Description from http://www.borealforest.org

 Aulacomnium turgidum (Wahlenb.) Schwaegr
Family: Aulacomniaceae

Common Name:
Turgid Aulacomnium Moss

• Robust plants with yellow green dull color.

• Pleurocarpus, upright brances, but
sometimes unbranched.
• Obtuse,concave, oblong-ovate leaves
• Leaves strongly imbricate (overlapping as
in shingles).
• Very common in moist to drier calcareous
habitats often mixed with Rhytidium
rugosum,Hylocomium splendens.
Photos from http://www.nrm.se/kbo/krypt/aulatur/aulatur3.html.se
• Leaf cells strongly sinuous, often star-
shaped.
 Dicranum scoparium Hedw.

Family: Dicranaceae

Common Name:
Brook Moss

http://www.geog.ubc.ca/richmond/city/bryophytesphotos.html

http://www.borealforest.org

• Dicranums arcrocarpus mosses.

• Grow in tufts or loose mats.
• Leaves erect, falcate secund
• Leaves lanceolate to ovate lanceolate,
toothed on the upper margins.
• Grows in moist acidic habitats. http://sunsite.ee/taimed/sammal/hkaksh.htm
 Distichium capillaceum (Hedw.) B.S.G.
Family: Ditrichaceae

Common Name:
Distichium Moss

www.ijon.de/moose/geni/distichium.html

• Acrocarpus.
• Distichous leaves (arranged in two
rows on opposite sides of the stem) that
sheath the stem (like and Iris).
• Capsule is erect cylindrical.
• Common in moist to dry calcareous
habitats

http://www.floraislands.is/MOSAR/disticap1m.jpg
 Ditrichum flexicaule (Schwaegr.) Hampe
Family: Ditrichaceae

Common Name:
Ditrichum Moss

Plants of the Western Boreal Forest & Aspen Parkland,

by Johnson and Kershaw

• Common in moist to dry calcaeous habitats.

• Slender upright flexuous leaves from all sides of the stem.
• Often has a dark “Army-green” appearance. often blackish
bases to stems.
• Often found with Distichium, but does not have distichous http://www.pictures.dnlb.dk/FloraDanica
leaves.
 Pleurozium schreberi (Brid.) Mitt.
Family: Entodontaceae

Common Name:
Big Red Stem Moss or
Schreber's Moss

http://www.borealforest.org

• Common pleurocarpus moss in forests.

• Bright red stem when wet.
• Irregularly pinnately branched.
• Leaves are shiny yellow-green,bluntish.
• Often occurs with and can be confused with
Hylocomium splendens (next slide), which is
more regularly pinnately branched, and has
paraphyllia, and has stair-step branching.

http://sunsite.ee/taimed/sammal/palus.htm
 Hylocomium splendens (Hedw.) B.S.G.
Family: Hylocomiaceae

Common Name:
Stair-step Moss

http://www.borealforest.org

• Feather moss.
• Stair-step branching formed from annual
growth increments. (Stair-step branching
generally does occur in the tundra).
• Regularly twice pinnately branched.
• Numerous paraphyllia (tiny scales or leaf-like
http://www.nic.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/plants/bryophyta/
structures) on the stems. bryopsida/bryales/hylocomiaceae/hylocomium/splende
• Most common moss in the boreal forest. ns-1x.jpg
 Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus (Hedw.) Warnst.
Family: Rhytidiaceae

Common Name: Electrified cat’s tail moss

• Robust, coarse, irregularly branched

plants.
• Upper tuft of leaves more “ruffled” than
the lower leaves.
• Common boreal forest moss.

http://www.floraislands.is/mosamynd.htm

http://www.borealforest.org
 Polytrichum strictum Brid.
• Polytrichaceae have vascular
Family: Polytrichaceae bundles.
• Polytrichum leaves have lamellae
(can be viewed with hand lens)
Common Name: • P. strictum has reddish brown leaf
Polytrichum Moss points.
• Entire margins to the leaves.

• Whitish gray rhizoids on lower stem

and “root” (separates this from P.
juniperinum).

Photo by Ilkka Korpela Cross section of Polytrichum Above photos from Plants of the Western Boreal Forest
leaf. & Aspen Parkland, by Johnson and Kershaw
http://www.botany.ubc.ca/bryophyte/3320.jpg
 Sphagnum angustifolium (Russ.) Tolf.

Family: Sphagnaceae

Common Name:
Sphagnum

http://www.botanik.univie.ac.at/pershome/temsch/morpho.html

Plants of the Western Boreal Forest & Aspen Parkland, www.bioimages.org.uk

by Johnson and Kershaw
 Sphagnum characteristics

• Consist of a main stem,

branches, and head
(capitulum)
Capitulum (Sphagnum head)
• Nature of stem leaves is a
primary diagnostic
Branches
character.
• Branch leaves are distinct
from stem leaves.

Stem leaves

Branch leaves

Photos: Spahgnum website: http://www.botanik.univie.ac.at/pershome/temsch/morpho.html

 Sphagnum warnstorfii Russ.
Family: Sphagnaceae

Common Name: Warnstorf's sphagnum

• Red, often wine color, mixed with green leaves.

• Branch leaves are five-ranked (alligned in
rows).
• Grows in more calcareous habitats than other
Sphagna.

http://www.floraislands.is/mosamynd.htm

http://www.borealforest.org
 Splachnum luteum
Family: Splachnaceae
Common Name: Yellow Moosedung Moss

• Bright yellow skirts of capsule bases.

• Splachnaceae are mostly nitrogeous dung mosses that
grow on scat and carcasses of small animals.

http://www.nrm.se/kbo/krypt/parasoll/parasoll3.html.se

http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/e/j/ejm220/Webpage/Features%20shared.htm
 Characteristics of
liverworts
Leaves inserted at angles to stem.

Two major groups:

Leafy liverworts
• Look a lot like mosses except for
insertion of leaves and
arrangement in two or three rows,
inserted at angles to the stem.
• Leaf arrangement is critical to
identification.

Thalloid liverworts:
• Look more like foliose lichens.
“Flat green thallus” with no stems
or leaves.

UBC Botany 321 website:

http://www.botany.ubc.ca/bryophyte/liver
wortintro.html
 Ptilidium ciliare
Family: Ptilidiaceae
Common Name: NA

• Example of a leafy liverwort.

• Leaves have ciliated margins.
• Concave leaves look inflated.
• Common in moist tundra.

http://www.floraislands.is/MOSAR/ptilicil1m.jpg
http://dommeldal.jnm.nl/illus/verslag05_1.jpg

http://www.uni-koeln.de/math-nat-fak/botanik/lehre/nebenfach2001/moose/ptilidium/ptilidium.htm
 Marchantia polymorpha L. (slide 1 / 2)
Family: Marchantiaceae
Common Name: NA

• Large flat thalloid liverwort.

• Common on burned areas. Common weed.
• Unisexual. Male plants have lobed discs.
Females are “deely boppers” (finger-like lobes
extending out from the main stalk).

http://www.nps.gov/olym/crypto/photo/V_MAPO_sex.jpg

Male gametophyte Female gametophyte

http://www.hkflora.com/v2/projects/stud_proj03/img_medium/Marchantia_polymorpha.jpg
Marchantia polymorpha L. (slide 2 / 2)

Male gametophytes:
http://www.boga.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/html/Marchantia.polymorpha.ja4.jpg