Fissidens bryoides |
Fissidentaceae |
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bryoid fissidens moss, lesser pocket-moss |
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Habit | Plants 3–11 × 0.9–3.2 mm. | Plants tiny to robust. |
Stem | unbranched and branched; axillary hyaline nodules absent; central strand usually present. |
, except for initial stages, growing from a 2-sided apical cell. |
Leaves | as many as 20 pairs, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate or oblong-lingulate, acute to short-acuminate or obtuse-apiculate, to 0.8–2.7 × 0.2–0.5 mm; dorsal lamina narrowed proximally, ending at or before insertion, infrequently slightly decurrent; vaginant laminae 1/2 leaf length, mostly equal; margin entire but often serrulate distally, limbate on all laminae, limbidium reaching apex or ending a few cells before or partially absent to infrequently completely absent, limbidial cells 1–3-stratose; costa excurrent to ending as many as 6 cells before apex, bryoides-type; laminal cells 1-stratose, distinct, smooth, often slightly bulging, firm-walled, irregularly hexagonal, a few elongate, 6.5–16 µm, somewhat larger in proximal parts of vaginant laminae. |
distichous, equitant, complex in form, consisting of two vaginant laminae that clasp the stem, a ventral lamina located above the vaginant laminae, and a dorsal lamina that occupies the length of the leaf opposite the vaginant and ventral laminae; costa single, usually well developed, near center of leaf, sometimes reduced, absent or nearly so. |
Seta | 1.4–10 mm. |
elongate. |
Sexual condition | polyoicous; naked antheridia and archegonia often in axils of distal leaves. |
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Capsule | theca exserted, erect, radially symmetric to ± inclined, bilaterally symmetic, 0.2–1.2 mm; peristome bryoides-type; operculum 0.5 mm. |
cylindric, peristome single, teeth 16, haplolepidous, endostomate, usually divided 1/2–2/3 their length, sometimes irregularly divided or undivided, sometimes reduced, (rarely absent). |
Calyptra | cucullate smooth, to 0.5 mm. |
cucullate. |
Spores | 10–20 µm. |
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Sporophytes | 1–2 per perichaetium. |
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Fissidens bryoides |
Fissidentaceae |
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Habitat | Soil in moist, shaded sites, stones and rocks (both acidic and basic) in shaded areas, along streams, sometimes inundated, infrequently around bases of trees | |
Distribution |
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; NB; NF; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; YT; Mexico; Central America; South America; Europe; Greenland; West Indies; Asia
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Worldwide; mostly tropics |
Discussion | Fissidens bryoides is a veritable kaleidoscope of intergrading expressions. At one extreme is F. bryoides in the strict sense, with plants gonioautoicous and the limbidium, 1–3 cells thick, confluent at the leaf apex with the percurrent to short-excurrent costa. At the other extreme is the expression that has been singled out as F. exiguus, with plants rhizautoicous and the 1-stratose limbidium usually restricted to the vaginant laminae of perichaetial leaves. In rare cases the limbidium can be absent from all leaves. All expressions, however, have clear, distinct, 1-stratose, irregularly hexagonal laminal cells, 6.5–16 µm, that in transverse section are no deeper than wide, and that have smooth walls that can be slightly bulging. H. A. Crum and L. E. Anderson (1981) illustrated the major expressions found in the flora area. Axillary, multicellular gemmae have been reported in Indian specimens. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Genus 1, species 450 (37 in the flora). Fissidentaceae is recognized easily by its distichous and equitant leaves. This leaf form is closest to that of Bryoxiphium. The hepatic Diplophyllum is often confused with Fissidens. Relationship of the Fissidentaceae is with the Dicranaceae; both families have similar peristomes but differ principally in leaf structure. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 345. | FNA vol. 27, p. 331. |
Parent taxa | Fissidentaceae > Fissidens | |
Sibling taxa | ||
Subordinate taxa | ||
Synonyms | F. andersonii, F. bryoides var. incurvus, F. bryoides var. pusillus, F. exiguus, F. exiguus var. falcatulus, F. pusillus, F. synoicous, F. texanus, F. viridulus, F. viridulus var. pusillus, F. viridulus var. tamarindifolius, F. viridulus var. texanus | |
Name authority | Hedwig: Sp. Musc. Frond., 153. (1801) | Schimper |
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