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Funaria americana

(American Funaria Moss)

Common Names

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Common Names in English:

American Funaria Moss

Description

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Family Funariaceae

Plants minute to medium-sized, gregarious to forming open tufts, light- to yellow-green, annual to biennial. Stems short, erect , simple or with a few branches, central strand present, basal rhizoids few. Leaves usually larger and more crowded distally, often comose , reduced proximally, usually contorted when dry, spreading when wet, broadly elliptic to obovate , usually concave , margins plane to somewhat incurved , entire to serrate, sometimes limbate , apex acute to acuminate, rarely somewhat blunt , costa single, percurrent to excurrent; distal and median cells usually irregular-rhombic to hexagonal or rectangular, smooth and rather thin-walled, often lax , weakly chlorophyllose, proximal cells usually longer , oblong to rectangular, sometimes weakly inflated at proximal angles, differentiated alar cells absent. Specialized asexual reproduction absent. Sexual condition autoicous , sometimes polygamous, rarely synoicous or paroicous . Perigonia terminal on short basal branches, bud-like, paraphyses yellowish and club-shaped. Perichaetia terminal, paraphyses usually absent and filiform when present, perichaetial leaves often somewhat enlarged. Seta terminal, solitary, short to elongate , erect to somewhat curved , smooth or rarely papillose . Capsule stegocarpous or cleistocarpous , immersed to exserted, globose or pyriform to cupulate , sometimes flaring , symmetric and nearly smooth to asymmetric and striate when dry, usually with a neck; exothecial cells thick- to thin-walled; stomata restricted to neck, consisting of a slit in a rounded guard cell, superficial or immersed, annulus present or absent, revoluble , revoluble in fragments, or not; operculum present or absent, flat, conic-rounded, to rostrate ; peristome double , single, rudimentary , or absent, exostome teeth 16, erect to incurved, papillose-striolate or striate, trabeculate on adaxial surface, endostome segments 16 and opposite the exostome teeth, cilia absent, represented only by the exostome when single. Calyptra deciduous or persistent , mitrate to cucullate , smooth, usually long-rostrate and inflated towards the base . Spores spherical or sub-reniform, strongly ornamented to smooth.

Genera ca. 13, species ca. 300 (6 genera, 29 species in the flora ) : worldwide except Antarctica.

The Funariaceae is characterized by broad leaves, large, pale laminal cells, opposite peristomes, and the distinctive stomata. The majority of species are found in disturbed or open sites on bare soil. Many of the species are annuals or biennials, and some may be perennials . When sterile , only a few species have distinctive vegetative features that allow positive identification to genus or species level. Fortunately most are usually fertile and sporophytes are common, although seasonal.[1]

Genus Funaria

Plants small to medium-sized, gregarious or tufted , bright green to yellowish green. Stems short, erect , simple except for a short basal antheridial branch . Leaves larger and erect distally, reduced proximally, oblong-ovate to broadly obovate distally; concave ; apex usually acute or acuminate margins erect, entire to serrate beyond middle ; costa single, ending before the tip to excurrent; distal and medial laminal cells large, rhombic-hexagonal to rectangular, lax and rather thin-walled, proximal cells oblong-rectangular, differentiated alar cells absent. Sexual condition autoicous ; antheridial branches 1-2, basal, perigonial paraphyses clavate with an enlarged inflated cell; perichaetia apparently absent paraphyses. Seta elongate , erect to strongly curved or twisted. Capsule exserted, usually inclined to pendent, asymmetric and usually curved, yellow to brown, pyriform , often sulcate or plicate when dry and empty, annulus large and revoluble or not differentiated, exothecial cells oblong-hexagonal to linear , walls incrassate especially so on inner tangential wall, stomata immersed ; peristome double , inserted somewhat below the mouth , teeth well developed, obliquely directed, lance-acuminate, papillose-striate, often strongly trabeculate , frequently appendiculate at the tips and fusing with a latticed disk, endostome segments opposite the teeth, 1/6 or more the length of the teeth, papillose or weakly papillose-striate with a basal membrane and cilia absent. Operculum usually oblique to the axis of the capsule, convex to weakly conic, cells in obliquely radial rows . Calyptra large, cucullate , usually smooth , and often long-rostrate. Spores spherical , smooth or papillose to baccate-insulate.

Species ca. 200: North America, Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America, Europe, Asia (including Indonesia), Africa, Pacific Islands, Australia.

Funaria comprises mainly small to medium seasonal mosses growing on moist mineral or peaty soils in strong light. For the most part, they are relatively short-lived pioneer species adapted to complete the life cycle by producing many spores quickly, in a cool, moist, bright (but not sunny for long periods), exposed, disturbed habitat . In North America, the best time to look for members of the family is spring before the soil dries out. The most common species can be recognized by the production of large numbers of sporophytes bearing a double peristome with inner and outer teeth opposite rather than alternate as is typical for most mosses. The teeth tend to be torqued in one direction with the tips of the exostome adhering weakly to a few-celled disk. Because the sporophyte shows more morphologic diversity than the gametophyte, it is often essential for identification. H. A. Crum and L. E. Anderson (1981) discussed the indistinct generic limits between Funaria and Entosthodon and the application of generic names .[2]

Physical Description

Species Funaria americana

Plants 2-5 mm, pale olive green, stem with leaves crowded at the tip , and bearing a short antheridial branch at the base . Leaves larger distally and reduced proximally, distal leaves 2-3 mm, erect spreading , the blade elliptic to oblong-lanceolate or obovate gradually narrowed to a slender acumen , distal blade margins entire to weakly serrulate distally and entire proximally; costa narrowing distally and ending in the acumen; distal laminal cells thin-walled, rhomboid to oblong-hexagonal, somewhat narrowed at the margins, proximal cells becoming rectangular toward the base. Seta 6-10 mm, nearly straight. Capsule 1.5-2 mm, inclined , asymmetric , elongate-pyriform from a neck nearly as long as the spore sac , shrunken below the mouth but not plicate when dry; annulus none, operculum short-conic; peristome teeth lanceolate-triangular, dark yellow-brown, papillose-striate throughout, trabeculae distinct but moderately thickened, weakly appendiculate and extending into the tip; endostome segments about 3/4 the length of the teeth, triangular basally, narrowing midway to a slender tip, finely papillose . Calyptra cucullate , smooth . Spores 25-30 µm, somewhat angled , finely rugose-verrucate. [source]

Funaria americana has been reported mainly from the area between the Appalachians and the Rocky Mountain divides, and it is reputed to be most likely encountered in disturbed microhabitats along river bluffs . Confusion has existed between the application of the names F. americana and F. muhlenbergii, as explained by H. A. Crum and L. E. Anderson (1981). Generally, collections from North America east of the Rockies continental divide belong to F. americana, and those from the western states belong to F. muhlenbergii, a species originally described from Europe. Such disjunctions are known for a number of genera and species of terrestrial plants . The costa extending nearly to the tip of the long leaf acumen is diagnostic. In F. muhlenbergii, the costa clearly ends before the short slender acumen. [source]

Habit: Nonvascular

Habitat

Exposed calcareous soils among loosely tufted grasses or in moist bright disturbed habitats in early spring ; low to moderate elevations [3].

Taxonomy

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Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. Entosthodon americanus (Lindberg) Fife

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Funaria

There are approximately 168 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

F. acaulis · F. acicularis · F. acuta · F. acutifolia · F. aequidens · F. altissima · F. americana (American Funaria Moss) · F. androgyna · F. angustifolia · F. annulata · F. anomala · F. apiculatopilosa (Apiculate Funaria Moss) · F. apophysata · F. arctica (Arctic Funaria Moss) · F. aristatula · F. attenuata · F. beccarii · F. berteroana · F. beyrichii · F. bogosica · F. bolanderi · F. boliviana · F. bonatii · F. bonplandii · F. bullata · F. buseana · F. calcarea · F. californica · F. calvescens (Funaria Moss) · F. cameruniae · F. campylopus · F. capillaris · F. capillipes · F. chevalieri · F. chilensis · F. clavellata · F. commixta · F. commutata · F. connivens · F. convexa · F. convoluta · F. costesii · F. crispula · F. curviseta · F. cuspidata · F. decaryi · F. delicatula · F. dentata · F. discelioides · F. eberhardtii · F. epipedostegia · F. erectiuscula · F. euryloma · F. excurrentinervis · F. fascicularis · F. flava · F. flavicans (Funaria Moss) · F. flaviseta · F. fritzei · F. fuegiana · F. fuscescens · F. glabra · F. globicarpa · F. grossidens · F. groutiana (Funaria Moss) · F. helmsii · F. higrometrica · F. hosseusii · F. hungarica · F. hygometrica · F. hygrometrica (Funaria Moss) · F. hygrometrica arctica · F. hygrometrica calvescens · F. hygrometrica var. arctica · F. hygrometrica var. calvescens · F. hygrometrica var. convoluta · F. hygrometrica var. muralis · F. hygrometricoides · F. imerinensis · F. incompleta · F. incurvifolia · F. inflata · F. japonica · F. kanakensis · F. kilimandscharica · F. koelzei · F. laxissima · F. leptopoda · F. linearidens · F. lonchopelma · F. longicollis · F. longiseta · F. ludoviciae · F. luteo-limbata · F. luzonensis · F. macrocarpa · F. macrospora · F. maireana · F. marginata · F. maryannae

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Terry T. McIntosh "Funariaceae". in Flora of North America Vol. 27 Page 180, 195, 199. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. Donna H. Miller, Harvey A. Miller "Funaria". in Flora of North America Vol. 27 Page 10, 11, 12, 13, 181, 188, 189, 192, 193, 203. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  3. "Funaria americana". in Flora of North America Vol. 27 Page 189, 193. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 2009-04-24