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| The moss families (Bryophyta, Musci) of Britain and Ireland |
Hook-mosses.
~Amblystegiaceae
Gametophyte. Pleurocarpous (with rather regularly pinnate branching); forming tufts, or mat or turf forming, or forming patches. Non-rosette plants. Primary stems erect to procumbent. Shoots not complanate. Paraphyllia (falcato-) present, or absent. Pseudoparaphyllia absent (never mentioned). Stems tomentose below (often matted with rhizoids), or not tomentose. The leaves of main stems and branches similar in form to markedly different in form (the stem leaves larger and broader); bilaterally symmetrical; ovate (or deltoid), or lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate; spiral; secund (or falcato-secund). Leaf bases not sheathing (but cordate); decurrent. The leaves single-nerved. The leaf nerves extending beyond the middle of the leaf, but not to the tip, or extending beyond the middle of the leaf, but not to the tip to extending to the leaf tip (reaching at least to the base of the acumen); not excurrent. Leaf blade apices pointed; acuminate. Leaf blade margins flat; unistratose; entire, or denticulate. Leaf blades not conspicuously bordered. The basal leaf cells somewhat longitudinally elongated, or longitudinally much elongated (?); irregularly rectangular; smooth. The walls of basal leaf cells thick; straight. The angular cells clearly differentiated (enlarged, forming distinct auricles which are decurrent almost to the nerve). The mid-leaf cells longitudinally much elongated; rhomboidal to vermicular; papillose, or smooth. The walls of the mid-leaf cells thin; straight.
Plants dioecious.
Sporophyte. Capsules exserted; inclined, or horizontal; at least somewhat somewhat asymmetrical (gibbous), or symmetrical; more or less curved; sub-cylindric to ellipsoid; distinctly waisted to not waisted; neither flattened nor angular; without an externally conspicuous apophysis; smooth; with an annulus. Calyptra glabrous; symmetrical; splitting down one side. Capsules with a peristome. The peristome double. The peristome teeth 16; not grouped; 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; shorter than the outer to exceeding the outer (?); with a basal membranous ring; with elongated “processes” (these broad). The processes of the inner peristome 16; alternating with the teeth of the outer peristome. The inner peristome ciliate (the cilia entire). The operculum shortly conical to mamillate. Setae long; reddish; smooth.
Ecology. In wet places, or mesophytic; occurring in mostly basic habitats.
Representation in Britain and Ireland. 2 species. Cratoneuron. 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 Hypnales.
Illustrations. • Cratoneuron (with Amblystegium, Campylium and Drepanocladus): Dixon. CRATONEURACEAE: C, Cratoneuron filicinum (Hedw.) Spruce; D, Cratoneuron curvicaule (Jur.) Roth. AMBLYSTEGIACEAE: A, Hygroamblystegium tenax (Hedw.) Jenn.; B, Hygroamblystegium fluviatile (Hedw.) Loeske; E, Leptodictyum riparium (Hedw.) Warnst. CAMPYLIACEAE: F, Campyliadelphus elodes (Lindb.) Kanda; G, Drepanocladus polygamus (Schimp.) Hedenäs; H, Campylium stellatum (Hedw.) Lange & Jens.; J, Campyliadelphus chrysophyllus (Brid.) R.S. Chopra; K, Campylophyllum halleri (Hedw.) M. Fleisch.; L, Drepanocladus aduncus (Hedw.) Warnst.; M and N, Drepanocladus sendtneri (Schimp. ex H. Müll.). HYPNACEAE. I, Campylophyllum calcareum (Crundw. & Nyh.) Hedenäs.
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. • Cratoneuron (with Campyliaceae, Palustriella and Rhytidiadelphus): Berkeley. CRATONEURACEAE: 6, Cratoneuron filicinum (Hedw.) Spruce, habit; a, leaves; b, capsule. CAMPYLIACEAE: 2, Sanionia uncinata (Hedw.) Loeske, habit; a, leaves; b, capsule (cf. Berkeley’s Plate 11,1). 3, Drepanocladus fluitans (Hedw.) Warnst., habit; a, leaves; b, capsule. 4, Scorpidium revolvens (Sw.) Hadenäs. HELODIACEAE: 5, Palustriella commutata (Hedw.) Ochyra, habit; a, leaf, abaxial; b, capsule. 6, HYLOCOMIACEAE: 1, Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus (Hedw.) Warnst., procumbent habit form; a, abaxial leaf; b, capsule. [4, Hypnum revolvens (Turn.) Warnst. (current generic assignment unknown), habit; a, leaves; b, capsule.]
From Berkeley (1863, Plate 10). 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’.
