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| The moss families (Bryophyta, Musci) of Britain and Ireland |
In Dixon’s Splachnaceae
Gametophyte. Acrocarpous; forming tufts, or the plants scattered. Mature plants 5–10 mm high. The leaves orbicular, or spathulate to obovate (entire, soft and succulent); spiral; single-nerved. The leaf nerves extending beyond the middle of the leaf, but not to the tip. Leaf blade apices obtuse; not apiculate; apically rounded. Leaf blade margins flat; entire. Leaf blades not conspicuously bordered. The basal leaf cells more or less isodiametric; hexagonal, or rounded; smooth. The walls of basal leaf cells thin; straight. The angular cells not well differentiated. The mid-leaf cells more or less isodiametric; hexagonal, or rounded; smooth. The walls of the mid-leaf cells thin; sinuous.
Sporophyte. Capsules exserted; erect; symmetrical; ellipsoid; with an externally conspicuous apophysis (this very long, yellowish, succulent and tapering into the seta, according to Smith). The apophysis becoming conspicuously rugose and/or twisted. Capsules above the apophysis, smooth; without a peristome. The operculum conical to mamillate. Setae present, or absent (? - the morphological nature of the pedicel being unclear, with Dixon interpreting the pedicel as comprising apophysis only); straight.
Ecology. Occurring in acid conditions. Montane, on peaty soil in shaded rock crevices and scree.
Representation in Britain and Ireland. 1 species. Oedipodium (Gouty-moss). Northern Scotland, southern Scotland, northern England, Wales, and Ireland.
Classification. Class Polytrichopsida; Order Tetraphidales.
Illustrations. • Oedipodium griffithianum. OEDIPODIACEAE: Oedipodium griffithianum (Dicks.) Schwaegr.
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. Oedipodium griffithianum. • Oedipodiaceae and Schistostegaceae: Berkeley. OEDIPODIACEAE: 5, Oedipodium griffithianum (Dicks.) Schwaeg., habit; a, leaf, with associated paraphyllia; b, capsule. SCHISTOSTEGACEAE: 4, Schistostega pennata (Hedw.) Web. & Mohr, habit; a, plant more highly magnified; b, detail of leaves; c, calyptra.
From Berkeley (1863, Plate 14). 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’.
