Bryophytes (Mosses, Liverworts, and Hornworts) • Earth.com

Fissidens Moss

(Fissidens pauperculus)

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Description

Plants 2-3 - 1.5-2.5 mm. Stems unbranched; axillary hyaline nodules absent; central strands weak. Leaves as many as 5 pairs, oblong to oblanceolate to lanceo-late, acute to short-acuminate, to 2.1 - 0.6 mm; margin crenulate-serrulate but often sharply serrate on distal parts of vaginant laminae, elimbate; dorsal lamina usually narrowed proximally, ending at insertion, not decurrent; vaginant laminae - 1/2-2/3 leaf length, unequal, minor lamina ending near margin; costa ending 6-15 cells before apex, bryoides-type; laminal cells 1-stratose, distinct, smooth, plane, firm-walled, long-hexagonal to oblong to regularly quadrate, decreasing in size from costa to margin, medial cells 10-54 - 12-25 -m, largest along costa, marginal cells 9-15 -m, juxtacostal cells in vaginant laminae pellucid, greatly enlarged. Sexual condition rhizautoicous and gonioautoicous. Sporophytes 1 per perichaetium. Seta 2.5-5 mm. Capsule theca exserted, usually inclined, slightly arcuate, bilaterally symmetric, infrequently erect, nearly radially symmetric, 0.7 mm; peristome scariosus-type; operculum 0.3-0.8 mm. Calyptra cucullate, smooth, 0.4 mm. Spores 9-13 -m.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Bryophyta
Class: Bryopsida
Order:Fissidentales
Family:Fissidentaceae
Genus:Fissidens
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