FloraOfNewZealand-Mosses-42-Fife-2019-Dicranaceae

The Dicranaceae are a very large and taxonomically complex family of cosmopolitan distribution. An erect habit, lanceolate leaves with a well-developed single costa, usually differentiated alar cells, and a single peristome with forked, red, and vertically striolate teeth characterise most of the species in this family. Upwards of 40 genera are currently accepted world-wide, with nine genera recognised in New Zealand. Dicranoloma, with eight species, is the largest genus here. Campylopus, for which only six regional species are accepted, is the most plastic and hence most difficult genus, as it is in many regions. The species concepts presented here are necessarily moderately broad, as some of our genera have been, arguably, overly described. Representatives of the Dicranaceae are some of the most conspicuous and ecologically significant members of the N.Z. bryoflora. Species of the southern hemisphere genus Dicranoloma, for example, form major components of the ground cover in forests throughout the country.