Interesting Facts
Description
Genus Diphyscium
Plants gregarious
, forming compact
short turf
. Leaves lingulate
, costate
, 1-2-stratose, distal cells
chlorophyllose, quadrate
to isodiametric, thick-walled and papillose
or mammillose
or smooth
, proximal
cells rectangular, hyaline
, smooth. Perigonial leaves similar to vegetative
leaves, except that interior are reduced and enclose paraphyses, axillary hairs
, elongate
antheridia. Perichaetial leaves long-awned with awn
smooth or spinulose
, awn often longer
than lamina, with laminal
apex lacerate
and ciliate
, when without sporangium strongly imbricate and penicellate, enclosing paraphyses, axillary hairs, few archegonia. Calyptra conic, barely covering operculum.
Species 12: North America, Mexico, West Indies, Central America, s South America, Europe, Asia, Atlantic Islands (Azores, Madeira
), Pacific Islands, Australia.
Diphyscium is the most widespread genus in the family
and is mainly temperate
to subtropical
. It is sufficiently distinctive and unlikely to be confused with any other genus in North America if perichaetia or sporophytes are present. Vegetative material is superficially similar to that of the Pottiaceae, especially in leaf form and papillosity. Fortunately, perichaetia and sporophytes are frequent in the eastern range
of the genus, while turf firmly cemented by rhizoids is a trait
not shared by Pottiaceae in the same range.[1]
Taxonomy
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
)
- Plants
- Phylum:
Bryophyta
()
- Mosses
- Class:
Bryopsida
()
- Mosses
- Order:
Diphysciales
()
- Family:
Diphysciaceae
()
- Genus:
Diphyscium
()
- D. Mohr, 1803
- [Greek di-, two, and physkion, little gut, alluding to double bladder of spore sac and capsule wall]
- Specific epithet:
mucronifolium
- Mitten in Dozy & Molkenboer, 1855
- Botanical name: - Diphyscium mucronifolium Mitten in Dozy & Molkenboer, 1855 Mitten in Dozy & Molkenboer, 1855
- Specific epithet:
mucronifolium
- Mitten in Dozy & Molkenboer, 1855
- Genus:
Diphyscium
(
- Family:
Diphysciaceae
(
- Order:
Diphysciales
(
- Class:
Bryopsida
(
- Phylum:
Bryophyta
(
Notes
Name
Status: Accepted Name
.
First described: Mitten in Dozy & Molkenboer Bryol. Jav., 1855.
Last scrutiny: 19-Jul-2004
Similar Species
Members of the genus Diphyscium
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 2 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:
D. cumberlandianum (Cumberland Diphyscium Moss) · D. foliosum (Diphyscium Moss)
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- Mitten in Dozy & Molkenboer Bryol. Jav., 1855.
Notes
Contributors
- Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 11, 2012.
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed February 27, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 2 providers.
- MOST: Moss TROPICOS Database. Release date: July 19, 2004
- Moss TROPICOS: the World Checklist of Mosses
- Moss TROPICOS DatabaseJul 1, 2004.
- Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 27, 2008:
- Australian National Herbarium (CANB)
- Missouri Botanical Garden
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3334961
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: MOS-35132319
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 527681
Footnotes
- "Diphyscium". in Flora of North America Vol. 27 Page 162, 163. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
