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| The moss families (Bryophyta, Musci) of Britain and Ireland |
Gametophyte. Pleurocarpous (Tetraplodon, Tayloria), or acrocarpous (Splachnum); forming tufts, or forming patches, or growing through other Bryophytes. Mature plants 10–70 mm high. The leaves soft, elliptical to oblong, or ovate to linear, or lingulate, or spathulate to obovate; spiral; single-nerved. The leaf nerves extending beyond the middle of the leaf, but not to the tip, or extending to the leaf tip; not excurrent. Leaf blade apices obtuse, or pointed; apically rounded to apically acute, or acuminate. Leaf blade margins flat; entire to dentate. The basal leaf cells somewhat longitudinally elongated, or longitudinally much elongated; rectangular to hexagonal; smooth. The walls of basal leaf cells thin; straight. The angular cells not well differentiated. The mid-leaf cells somewhat longitudinally elongated to longitudinally much elongated; rectangular, or hexagonal, or rectangular to hexagonal, or rhomboidal; smooth. The walls of the mid-leaf cells thin; straight.
Plants monoecious, or dioecious; when monoecious, autoecious.
Sporophyte. Capsules exserted; erect; symmetrical; straight; sub-cylindric, or ellipsoid, or pyriform (sometimes waisted, in Splachnum sometimes panduriform or inverted mushroom-shaped); with an externally conspicuous apophysis (similarly shaped to the theca, or much enlarged). The apophysis becoming conspicuously rugose and/or twisted (pyriform, globose or umbrella-shaped). Capsules above the apophysis, smooth. Calyptra symmetrical; splitting down one side, or with two or more splits, or tearing irregularly, or entire. Capsules with a peristome. The peristome single. The peristome teeth 16; not grouped, or in pairs, or in fours; not deeply cleft; not perforated; thin, membranous, and transversely barred; exteriorly with a fine longitudinal dividing line between the transverse bars. The operculum conical to mamillate. Setae long; straight, or flexuose.
Ecology. Nitrophilous. Almost aways growing on excrement or decaying animal or plant matter, and the spores often dispersed by fies.
Cytology. Haploid chromosome number, n = 8, 10, 11, and 19 (Tetraplodon), or 9 (Splachnum).
Representation in Britain and Ireland. 8 species. Aplodon (Carrion-moss), iSplachnum (Collar-mosses), Tayloria (Gland-mosses), Tetraplodon (Cruet-mosses). Northern Scotland, southern Scotland, northern England, English Midlands, East Anglia, Wales, southeast England, central southern England, southwest England, and Ireland (but mostly northern).
Classification. Class Bryopsida; Subclass Bryideae; Order Splachnales.
Illustrations. • Splachnum ampullaceum, S. sphaericum and S. vasculosum: Dixon. SPLACHNACEAE: G, Splachnum ampullaceum Hedw.; H, Splachnum sphaericum Hedw.; I, Splachnum vasculosum Hedw.
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. • Aplodon, Tayloria, Tetraplodon: Dixon. SPLACHNACEAE: A, Tetraplodon mnioides (Hedw.) Br. Eur.; B, Aplodon wormskjoldii (Horn.) R.Br.; C, Tetraplodon angustatus (Hedw.) Br. Eur.; D, Tayloria tenuis (Dicks.) Dix.; E, Tayloria lingulata (Dicks.) Lindb.
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. • Tayloria lingulata and T. tenuis: Berkeley. SPLACHNACEAE: 6, Tayloria lingulata (Dicks.) Lindb., habit; a, leaf; b, capsule; c, part of peristome. 7, Tayloria tenuis (Dicks.) Dix., habit; a, leaf; b, young calyptra; c, capsule; d, dry, dehisced capsule; e, part of peristome.
From Berkeley (1863, Plate 14). The approximate 1 cm scale applies to the whole plant (habit) illustrations only. • Splachnum and Tetraplodon: Berkeley. SPLACHNACEAE: 1, Tetraplodon angustus (Hedw.) Br. Eur.; a, habit; b, leaf; c, calyptra; d, capsule with lid; e, capsule dehisced, without lid. 2, Tetraplodon mnioides (Hedw.) Br. Eur.; a, habit; b, leaf; c, capsule with lid; d, capsule without lid; e, part of peristome. 3, Splachnum sphaericum Hedw.; a, habit; b, leaf; c, capsule with lid; d, capsule without lid. 4, Splachnum ampullaceum Hedw.; a , male and female plants, habit; b, leaf; c, capsule. 5, Splachnum vasculosum Hedw.; a, male and female plants, habit; b, leaf; c, capsule with lid; d, capsule without lid.
From Berkeley (1863, Plate 15). The approximate 1 cm scale applies to the whole plant (habit) illustrations only. • Splachnum vasculosum (Berkeley). Splachnum vasculosum Hedw. a, male and female plants; b, leaf; c; sporangium; d, sporagium without lid. Berkeley (1863), Plate 15. • Splachnum ampullaceum: Curtis (1830).
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’.
