Fissidens limbatus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Division: | Bryophyta |
Class: | Bryopsida |
Subclass: | Dicranidae |
Order: | Dicranales |
Family: | Fissidentaceae |
Genus: | Fissidens |
Species: | F. limbatus |
Binomial name | |
Fissidens limbatus | |
Synonyms | |
Fissidens limbatus [4] commonly known as Herzog's pocket-moss, is a moss in the family Fissidentaceae. This species is found growing in high elevations in tropical America (especially along the coastal regions of Bolivia [5] ) in addition to the US, Mexico and Canada. Montagne first collected F. crispus in 1838. [4]
This is a light to the deep green plant. It grows in small patches with up to 10 mm long and 3 mm wide, 3-20 pairs of leaves. The stem is usually green to orange-red or dark reddish-brown. The central strand in the stem is hardly differentiated. The leaves are very contorted when dry, 2–6 times as long as wide, the leaves are lingulate to narrowly lanceolate with concave sides at the apex. F. limbatus leaves also have cells that are ± bulging (seen on the upper leaf cells) that could only be observed in cross-section. [6]
This species, like the rest of the Fissidens genus, is identified by its leaves that are arranged in two rows along the stem and are half-clinging the stem and the rear leaf towards the stem tip. The leaves are unique among other mosses as it has leaves with pocket-like flaps (common name Pocket Moss). The size of the gametophyte is a few millimetres long (measured as the length of the shoot). Sterile stems are often longer than fertile shoots, and plants from caves can produce long shoots with many leaf pairs. Most of the time, the lamina in F. limbatus is unistratose; however, it is partially bistratose occasionally.
Each leaf is usually divided into three different parts:
Another critical characteristic of the Fissidens limbatus leaf is the leaf margin, which is formed by a border called the limbidium: long, narrow, incrassate cells. These cells in F. limbatus are unistratose to bistratose. Furthermore, sometimes, the limbidium enters the sheathing part (vaginant lamina), which means that the border cells are separated from the margin by a row of chlorophyllose cells. This is called an intralaminar or intramarginal limbidium. The limbidium also connects with the costa at the leaf tip (leaf apex), forming an apiculus, or ending a few cells before the apex. The costa could be up to 25 micrometres at the base (per-current). [6]
Rhizoids are usually limited to the bottom of stems and brown in colour ± smooth rhizoids. Sometimes, papillose rhizoids have been reported to occur in F. limbatus. [6]
The synoicous in F. limbatus can be autoicous or dioicous. The archegonia could grow up to 240 μm long when the shoot is autoicous; whereas, the antheridia that are carried on short basal branches or unusually small axillary buds, its length range between 120 and 180 μm. Sporophytes are common in this moss and observed most of the time. [6]
The seta is yellowish-red a few millimetres thick (2–6mm) often and ~9 mm long. [6]
The sporangium capsule is very tiny 0.6–1 mm long that is erect or sometimes lightly curved, resembling a shape of an ellipsoid. The immature capsule of F. limbatus is green, and the operculum is fully and prominently enlarged above the annulus. The tip of the operculum is somewhat clear-green in colour. The capsule turns dark green to brown when maturing, except for the apophysis, keeps it light green colour and the operculum that turns red as each sporocyte has experienced meiosis and has produced four spores at this time. [7] The spores of this moss are minute 8–18 μm, yellow with a smooth texture. [6]
Peristomal teeth are present with 21–55.5 μm width at the opening of the capsule with filaments that are somewhat papillose and helical thickenings [6]
The species grows in shaded, basic to slightly acidic environment on banks or mineral soil. F. limbatus sometimes grows directly on rocks in sheltered but not wet sites at elevations up to about 1000m. [8]
F. limbatus can be found in North America, [9] Mexico, Central America, West Indies and South America as well as Japan (Honshu). [10]
In North America, this moss can be found along the western coast of the US, Canada and Mexico. [11]
It also occurs in Europe in Hungary and all countries adjacent to Hungary except Austria, Slovenia and Slovakia [6]
Fissidens adianthoides, the maidenhair pocketmoss, is a moss in the family Fissidentaceae. It was first collected by Hedwig in 1801.
Funaria is a genus of approximately 210 species of moss. Funaria hygrometrica is the most common species. Funaria hygrometrica is called “cord moss” because of the twisted seta which is very hygroscopic and untwists when moist. The name is derived from the Latin word “funis”, meaning "a rope". In funaria root like structures called rhizoids are present.
Polytrichum commune is a species of moss found in many regions with high humidity and rainfall. The species can be exceptionally tall for a moss with stems often exceeding 30 cm (12 in) and rarely reaching 70 cm (27.5 in), but it is most commonly found at shorter lengths of 5 to 10 cm. It is widely distributed throughout temperate and boreal latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere and also found in Mexico, several Pacific Islands including New Zealand, and also in Australia. It typically grows in bogs, wet heathland and along forest streams. Additionally, class Polytrichopsida has been shown to thrive in partially open habitats that have been recently disturbed by human activities or even livestock.
Meesia triquetra, the three-ranked hump-moss, is a moss that occurs all around the northern hemisphere in higher latitudes.
Dicranum scoparium, the broom forkmoss, is a species of dicranid moss, native to most of the northern hemisphere as well as Oceania. It usually forms and grows in round mass clumps or mats on soil in dry to moist forested areas. As with many types of moss Broom moss grows in clumps with Broom mosses as well as other mosses. It can be distinguished by its leaves, which strongly curve to one side.
Pogonatum urnigerum is a species of moss in the family Polytrichaceae, commonly called urn haircap. The name comes from "urna" meaning "urn" and "gerere" meaning "to bear" which is believed to be a reference made towards the plant's wide-mouthed capsule. It can be found on gravelly banks or similar habitats and can be identified by the blue tinge to the overall green colour. The stem of this moss is wine red and it has rhizoids that keep the moss anchored to substrates. It is an acrocarpous moss that grows vertically with an archegonium borne at the top of each fertilized female gametophyte shoot which develops an erect sporophyte.
Warnstorfia exannulata is a leafy branching wetland moss in the genus Warnstorfia within the family Amblystegiaceae and class Bryopsida. This bryopsida moss is also known as ringless-hook moss or Warnstorfia moss. It is the most common species of the genus in wetland environments and can be difficult to distinguish from others within the genus. It grows in acidic soils like fens and bogs, or in freshwater pools and lakes.
Climacium dendroides, also known as tree climacium moss, belongs in the order Hypnales and family Climaciaceae, in class Bryopsida and subclass Bryidae. It is identified as a "tree moss" due to its distinctive morphological features, and has four species identified across the Northern Hemisphere. The species name "dendroides" describes the tree-like morphology of the plant, and its genus name came from the structure of the perforations of peristome teeth. This plant was identified by Weber and Mohr in 1804. They often have stems that are around 2-10 cm tall and growing in the form of patches, looking like small palm-trees. They have yellow-green branches at the tip of stems. The leaves are around 2.5-3 mm long, with rounder stem leaves and pointier branch leaves. Their sporophytes are only abundant in late winter and early spring, and appears as a red-brown shoot with long stalk and cylindrical capsules.
Plagiomnium venustum, also known as magnificent leafy moss, is a species of moss belonging to the family Mniaceae. It is found mainly in western North America along the coastal region. This moss can be identified from other members of the Plagiomnium genus by dark coloured stomata guide cells and the absence of sterile stems. It is most commonly found growing as a mat on a variety of substrate, but mainly on humus and moist soil.
Orthotrichum lyellii, also known as Lyell's bristle moss, is a species of acrocarpous moss belonging to the family Orthotrichaceae. O. lyellii can be found throughout western North America and Europe. It is found most commonly growing epiphytically on a variety of trees, and less commonly on rocks or boulder substrates.
Andreaea rupestris is a species of moss in the class Andreaeopsida, are commonly referred to as the "lantern mosses" due to the appearance of their dehisced sporangia. It is typically found on smooth, acidic, exposed rock in the Northern hemisphere. It exhibits the common features of the genus Andreaea such as being acrocarpous, having dark pigmentation, lacking a seta, and bearing 4 lines of dehiscence in its mature sporangia, but can be further identified upon careful examination of its gametophytic leaves which have an ovate base to a more blunt apex compared to other similar species.
Rhynchostegium is a genus of pleurocarpous mosses belonging to the family Brachytheciaceae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution across different climatological regions except the polar regions, mostly in tropic to north temperate regions. The genus contains both aquatic and terrestrial species. The genus was named for their rostrate opercula. The type species of this genus is Rhynchostegium confertum (Dicks.) Schimp.
Syntrichia latifolia, formerly Tortula latifolia, and commonly known as water screw-moss, is a species of moss belonging to the family Pottiaceae. Syntrichia species differ from members of Tortula due to synapomorphic leaf qualities, such as different basal and distal cells, as well as different costal cross sections where Tortula has an abaxial epidermis and Syntrichia lacks one.
Polytrichastrum formosum, commonly known as the bank haircap moss, is a species of moss belonging to the family Polytrichaceae.
Hypnum is a genus of mosses belonging to the family Hypnaceae.
Polytrichum hyperboreum is a species of moss belonging to the genus Polytrichum, commonly found throughout arctic regions of the world. Members of this dioecious species readily produces sporophytes with their sporophytic structure, consisting of a foot, seta, capsule, and a hairy calyptra, similar to other Polytrichum species. Polytrichum hyperboreum is distinguishable by certain unique features of there gametophytic structure that sets them apart from other genus members.
Andreaea blyttii, also commonly known as Blytt's rock moss, is a moss belonging to the family Andreaeaceae, commonly known as rock moss, granite moss, or lantern moss because of this family's unique sporangium. It is part of the genus Andreaea which is known for forming dark brownish or reddish-black carpets in high elevations. This species was first described by Schimper in 1855.
Fissidens celticus, also known by its common name Welsh pocket-moss, is a species of moss in the family Fissidentaceae. It was discovered in 1958 in Pembrokeshire by A.H. Norkett and was first described as a new species by Jean Paton in 1965.
Dicranoloma billardierei is a species of bryophyte in the genus Dicranoloma. This moss is extremely common in wet rainforest habitats. In the field, Dicranoloma billardierei, is often confused with Dicranoloma robustum and Dicranoloma fasciatum. However, the short and obtuse nature of the leaves make this moss normally very distinctive.
Bartramiopsis lescurii, also known as false apple moss, is found in North America from Washington to Alaska, in East Russia, and Japan. This moss is in the Polytrichaceae family, however unlike most mosses in this family, Bartramiopsis lescurii does not have peristome teeth.