Ditrichum liliputanum

• Description
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Description

Family Ditrichaceae

Plants minute or rather small to medium-sized, gregarious or loosely to densely tufted . Stems erect , simple or forked , with a central strand. Leaves mostly lanceolate, acuminate or subulate , straight or somewhat curved , rarely sheathing at base ; in numerous rows (2 rows in Distichium) ; costa single, well developed, subpercurrent to excurrent, in section with 1 row of guide cells and 2 stereid bands , adaxial band sometimes much reduced; lamina cells smooth (± roughened in subula in Distichium) ; basal cells elongate , narrower towards the margins , those of basal angles not differentiated or forming a marginal border ; distal cells isodiametric or short-rectangular to elongate, walls firm. Specialized asexual reproduction occasional, as multicellular filamentous gemmae borne in axils or along stems, or as specialised tubers or filamentous propagules on rhizoids. Sexual condition dioicous, autoicous , paroicous , or synoicous ; perigonia axillary or on short branches adjacent to perichaetia, or terminal on separate plants ; perichaetial leaves not markedly differentiated or with a longer , broader sheathing base and shorter subulate apex. Seta short to ± elongate, yellow to orange, reddish brown, brown, or reddish purple; capsules immersed to emergent and subglobose to long-exserted and ± cylindric , erect to inclined or pendulous, often ± curved or asymmetric ; cleistocarpous , gymnostomous , or peristomate; annulus, when present, usually of 2-3 rows of larger cells, deciduous; peristome, when present, single, of 16 teeth, variously split into two terete filaments or perforate to near the base; operculum conic to short-rostrate. Calyptra cucullate , rarely mitrate. Spores spheric to ovoid or ± reniform , finely to coarsely papillose , verrucose , or somewhat vermicular or reticulate .

Genera 25, species ca. 140 (9 genera, 25 species in the flora ) : cosmopolitan , greatest occurrence in temperate regions .

Species of Ditrichaceae usually colonize soil, rarely wood , and some species have a distinct preference for calcareous substrates. The family is poorly defined and separated from Dicranaceae primarily on peristome characteristics, with the teeth divided into terete rather than flat filaments, and the general absence of vertical pit-striations. In some species, however, oblique ornamentation is present, at least in the distal portion of the teeth. W. R. Buck and B . Goffinet (2000) included 25 genera, with one hybrid genus, Pleuriditrichum, in the family. The inclusion of at least some of the genera seems somewhat anomalous . Within the flora, Ceratodon, Distichium, Ditrichum, Saelania, and Trichodon are peristomate, while Cleistocarpidium, Eccremidium, Pleuridium, and Pseudephemerum are cleistocarpic. Although in this treatment it is included in Ditrichaceae, Pseudephemerum was placed in Dicranaceae by Buck and Goffinet.[1]

Genus Ditrichum

Plants in loose to dense tufts, green to yellowish green distally, yellow-brown to brown proximally. Stems short or reaching 2 cm or more, simple or sometimes with a few branches; rhizoids at base , smoth. Leaves rigid to flexuose or sometimes somewhat falcate when dry, erect-spreading when wet, lanceolate to subulate from a more or less sheathing base; margins entire throughout or denticulate near the apex; costa percurrent or excurrent, occupying most of subula, 1/6-1/3 width of leaf base, 1 row of guide cells, 2 stereid bands , adaxial stereid band sometimes weak, rarely absent; medial lamina cells quadrate to short-rectangular, becoming longer and thinner-walled proximally toward margins, smooth or rarely papillose at both ends. Specialized asexual reproduction occasionally by rhizoidal tubers. Sexual condition monoicous or dioicous; perichaetial leaves usually with a longer and more or less sheathing base and shorter subulate than stem leaves. Seta pale yellow to dark reddish brown, elongate , erect or flexuose. Capsule mostly erect and symmetric , sometimes ± inclined and arcuate , exserted, ovoid to cylindric , smooth; annulus present, deciduous; operculum conic to short-rostrate; peristome single, teeth16, split into 2 filiform segments or sometimes irregularly perforate or split, with or without a short basal membrane , papillose to spiculose. Calyptra cucullate . Spores globose , very finely papillose, verrucose , or with somewhat vermicular ornamentation.

Species ca. 90: worldwide, including maritime Antarctic region.

Ditrichum occurs from near sea level up to montane regions, on a wide range of soils, but is found occasionally on rock; some species are calciphilic.[2]

Taxonomy

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 19-Jul-2004

Similar Species

Members of the genus Ditrichum

There are approximately 120 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

D. affine · D. ambiguum (Ambiguous Ditrichum Moss) · D. amoenum · D. apophysatum · D. atlanticum · D. aureum · D. australe · D. austro-georgicum · D. austrogeorgicum · D. blindioides · D. bogotense · D. brachycarpum · D. brachypodum · D. brevidens · D. brevifolium · D. brevirostre · D. brevisetum · D. brotherusii · D. buchananii · D. capense · D. capillaceum · D. capillare · D. colijnii · D. conicum · D. cornubicum · D. crinale · D. crispatissimum · D. cylindricarpum · D. cylindricum · D. darjeelingense · D. difficile · D. divaricatum · D. elatum · D. elongatum · D. falcifolium · D. ferrugineum · D. flavipes · D. flexicaule (Ditrichum Moss) · D. flexicaule brevifolium · D. flexicaule densum · D. flexifolium · D. fontanum · D. formosicum · D. francii · D. gemmiferum · D. giganteum · D. glaucescens · D. gracile · D. hallei · D. henryi · D. heteromallum (Ditrichum Moss) · D. heterophyllum · D. homomallum · D. hookeri · D. hornschuchii · D. hyalinocuspidatum · D. hyalinum · D. immersum · D. itatiaiae · D. javense · D. laxifolium · D. laxissimum · D. levieri · D. lewis-smithii · D. liliputanum · D. lineare (Ditrichum Moss) · D. longicaule · D. longisetum · D. luteum · D. macrophyllum · D. macrorhynchum · D. macrorrhynchum · D. madagassum · D. mexicanum · D. montanum (Montane Ditrichum Moss) · D. nivale · D. oldfieldii · D. pallidom · D. pallidum (Pale Ditrichum Moss) · D. pancheri · D. paulense · D. perporodictyon · D. plagiacron · D. plicatum · D. plumbicola · D. punctulatum · D. pusillum (Ditrichum Moss) · D. pusillum var. tortile · D. rhynchostegium (Ditrichum Moss) · D. roivanenii · D. rufescens · D. rufo-aureum · D. schimperi (Schimper's Ditrichum Moss) · D. sekii · D. sericeum · D. setosum · D. setschwanicum · D. spinulosum · D. spirale · D. steyermarkii

More Info

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Further Reading

• Britton, E. G. 1913b. Ditrichaceae. In: N. L. Britton et al., eds. 1905+. North American Flora. ..... 47+ vols. New York. Vol. 15, pp. 55-67.
• Crum, H. A. 1981. Eccremidium, a genus of Ditrichaceae new to the Americas. Bryologist 84: 527-532.

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.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed October 5, 2006.
• Moss TROPICOS DatabaseJul 1, 2004.
• Moss TROPICOS: the World Checklist of Mosses
• MOST: Moss TROPICOS Database

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3932065
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: MOS-35132789
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 527810

Footnotes

1. Rodney D. Seppelt "Ditrichaceae". in Flora of North America Vol. 27 Page 360, 377, 383, 433, 443, 444, 467. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
2. Rodney D. Seppelt, Robert R. Ireland Jr., Harold Robinson "Ditrichum". in Flora of North America Vol. 27 Page 443, 444, 450, 457, 463, 467. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]

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