Voitia

Hornschuch

Voitia Systylio, 5, plate 1. 1818.

Etymology: For Johann Gottlob Wilhelm Voit, 1787 – 1813, German bryologist
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 28. Treatment on page 15. Mentioned on page 650.
 TaxonIllustrator 
SplaVoitiaNivalisHyperborea.jpegVoitia nivalis
Voitia hyperborea
Patricia M. Eckel
Patricia M. Eckel

Plants in tufts, light green to yellow-green. Stems 1–6 cm; densely radiculose proximally. Stem-leaves lanceolate to ovatelanceolate; margins entire; apex long-acuminate; costa excurrent; proximal laminal cells rectangular; distal cells rectangular. Sexual condition autoicous. Seta 1–3 cm, straight or slightly twisted basally, usually strongly twisted immediately below capsule. Capsule cleistocarpous, dark red, oblong-ovate or ovate-globose; hypophysis absent; annulus absent; operculum not differentiated; peristome absent. Calyptra cucullate, enlarged, completely covering capsule, sometimes split at base. Spores 7–18 µm, smooth.

Distribution

w North America, n Eurasia, circumboreal and in mountainous regions

Discussion

Species 2 (2 in the flora).

Plants of Voitia are coprophilic, but as they are cleistocarpous, they do not have spores dispersed by flies (order Diptera). Spores are released by the disintegration of the sporangial wall. The dark red capsule is quite distinct, and the two species are easily distinguished by capsule shape. The stems of this genus are often branched; the leaf margins are more or less incurved; the basal laminal cells are 55–95 µm. The perigonia and perichaetia are terminal on separate branches; the setae are yellowish to dark red, darkest distally. The stem leaves are slightly contorted when dry, erect-spreading when moist.

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Capsules oblong-ovate, gradually narrowed to seta, basal ridge absent; setae strongly twisted immediately below capsule. Voitia nivalis
1 Capsules ovate-globose, abruptly narrowed to seta, basal ridge present; setae not twisted near capsule. Voitia hyperborea
... more about "Voitia"
long-acuminate +
Paul C. Marino +
Hornschuch +
cucullate +
cleistocarpous +
ovate-globose +  and oblong-ovate +
autoicous +  and sexual +
rectangular +
w North America +, n Eurasia +  and circumboreal and in mountainous regions +
For Johann Gottlob Wilhelm Voit, 1787 – 1813, German bryologist +
16 +, 8 +  and 12 +
4 +  and 2 +
elongate +
convex +  and conic +
not differentiated +
Voitia Systylio, +
straight +
elongate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
thick +  and thin +
lanceolate +  and ovatelanceolate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
Splachnaceae +
light green +  and yellow-green +
small;medium-sized +