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| The moss families (Bryophyta, Musci) of Britain and Ireland |
In Dixon’s Funariaceae
Gametophyte. Acrocarpous (the tiny plants, annual, arising from the persistent protonema); often forming patches. Rosette plants. Mature plants 0.5–2.2 mm high. The leaves ovate to narrowly lanceolate; spiral (forming the rosettes); nerveless (or sometimes with a vestigial nerve in the upper part), or single-nerved. The leaf nerves when present, extending beyond the middle of the leaf, but not to the tip, or extending to the leaf tip; slightly excurrent, or not excurrent. Leaf blade apices pointed; apically acute, or acuminate. Leaf blade margins (sub-) entire, or denticulate to dentate. The basal leaf cells longitudinally much elongated; hexagonal, or rounded, or rhomboidal; smooth. The walls of basal leaf cells thin; straight. The angular cells not well differentiated. The mid-leaf cells longitudinally much elongated; hexagonal, or rounded, or rhomboidal; smooth. The walls of the mid-leaf cells thin to thick; straight.
Plants monoecious, or dioecious; when monoecious, autoecious, or synoecious (Micromitrium).
Sporophyte. Capsules immersed; symmetrical; more or less globose (but often apiculate); without an externally conspicuous apophysis; with an annulus, or without an annulus. Calyptra small (minute and persistent in Micromitrium, fugacious in Ephemerum); symmetrical. Capsules cleistocarpus (exhibiting only a rudimentary lid, but that of Micromitrium has a differentiated annulus, along which it dehisces under pressure); without a peristome. Setae very short.
Ecology. Often forming patches on damp, compressed soil or mud.
Cytology. Haploid chromosome number, n = 27 (recorded for E. cohaerens only).
Representation in Britain and Ireland. 8 species. Ephemerum (Earth-mosses), Micromitrium (Millimetre Moss). 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 Pottiales.
Illustrations. • Ephemerum and Micromitrium tenerum: Dixon. 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.
From Dixon and Jameson (1924). The unscaled screen display approximately doubles the magnifications given with their individual figures. Ephemerum serratum Hampe. Micromitrium tenerum Crosby. E. praecox Walther & Morendo. • Ephemerum stellatum, E. cohaerens, E. sessile and E. recurvifolium: Dixon. 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.
From Dixon and Jameson (1924). The unscaled screen display approximately doubles the magnifications given with their individual figures. Ephemerum stellatum Philib. Ephemerum cohaerens Hampe. Ephemerum sessile C. Müll. Ephemerum recurvifolium Boul.
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’.
