Andreaea rothii, or Roth's andreaea moss,[3] is a species of moss in the family Andreaeaceae native to North America and parts of Europe.[4][5] This plant was described in 1807 by Weber and Mohr.[5]
Andreaea rothii gametophytes sometimes form extensive black to brown cushion-like patches,[6][5] with individual shoots erect and less than 2 cm tall.[6] The leaves of Andreaea rothii are 1-2 cm wide, and have a strong costa,[6][7] which is roughly synonymous to a midrib. The leaves can be falcate-secund, curving to one side of the plant.[6][5][7] This is especially true when wet, however the plants do not alter much when dry.[6] The outline of the leaf is pear-shaped, swelling at the base and tapering to a tip,[6][5] and can also be strongly curved depending on subspecies.[6]
Distribution
Andreaea rothii grows on rocks that are wet, acidic, and exposed.[5][6] This species is found anywhere from areas of high elevation to sea-level.[6][5]
Reproduction
Andreae rothii gametophytes can be gonioautoicous—meaning the antheridia are bud-like in the axil of an archegonial branch—or cladautoicous—meaning the antheridia and archegonia are found on different branches of the same plant.[7] Like all of the Andreaeaceae, sporangia are elevated on a pseudopodium,[8] a structure resembling a seta but composed of gametophyte tissue rather than sporophyte tissue. The sporangia will dehisce longitudinally, forming slits through which spores are dispersed.[8][9] This pattern of dehiscence gives the genus its common name: "Lantern mosses".
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Rothero, Gordon (2010). "Andreaea rothii subsp. falcata / subsp. rothii". In Atherton, Ian; Bosanquet, Sam; Lawley, Mark (eds.). Mosses and Liverworts of Britain and Ireland: A Field Guide. United Kingdom: British Bryological Society. p.314. ISBN978-0-9561310-1-0.
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