FloraOfNewZealand-Mosses-39-Fife-2018-Ptychomitriaceae
The Ptychomitriaceae are a small family of rock-inhabiting acrocarps restricted to temperate and tropical regions worldwide. The family is traditionally (by Brotherus) considered to include three genera, although modern treatments have enlarged the family somewhat with the inclusion of additional genera. However the family is circumscribed, Ptychomitrium is the largest genus, although estimates of between 62 and 80 species worldwide in this genus are probably exaggerated. A recent review of the genus for Australia has resulted in a reduction of species accepted there from five to three. One species, P. australe, is accepted in the New Zealand Flora; it occurs widely, mostly in drier parts of the country and is also widespread in Australia. In a regional context P. australe is distinguished in part by its small, dark green epilithic cushions with ovate-lanceolate leaves and mostly oblate laminal cells, patches of which are bistratose. The leaves of the terminal perichaetia are not differentiated, and the elliptic or ovate capsules are erect on straight setae. There is a highly characteristic lobed and plicate calyptra, which covers about half the capsule. Although a second species, P. acutifolium, has been reported as a rarity from N.Z., the weight of evidence does not now support its occurrence here.
Additional Information
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Data last updated | 4 October 2018 |
| Metadata last updated | 6 August 2018 |
| Created | 6 August 2018 |
| Format | |
| License | CC-BY 4.0 (Attribution) |
| Datastore active | False |
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| Id | 3ed64d37-8a63-4b03-b5e9-aad0b651ea5d |
| Mimetype | application/pdf |
| Package id | a22b9e22-1f27-4009-8f05-82d9e4afbf04 |
| Position | 0 |
| Size | 2.6 MiB |
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