Bryoerythrophyllum
Hedwigia 80: 4. 1941 ,.
Plants turf-forming or loosely cespitose, green distally, redbrown proximally. Stems short or up to 3 cm, branching occasionally; hyalodermis usually absent, sclerodermis usually present, central strand usually present; axillary hairs several cells long, the proximal 1–2 cells usually all hyaline. Stem-leaves appressed when dry, spreading when moist; ovate to lanceolate, adaxial surface often grooved along costa; base usually ovate to oblong and sheathing; distal margins recurved near base or to near apex, occasionally plane, entire or more often dentate above, sometimes bordered by 3–4 rows of thick-walled cells; apex rounded-obtuse to acute; costa ending a few cells before apex to short-excurrent, adaxial outgrowths absent, adaxial cells quadrate or seldom elongate in 2–6 rows; transverse-section semicircular, adaxial epidermis present, adaxial stereid band present, guide cells 2–4 in 1 layer, hydroid strand occasionally present, abaxial stereid band present, crescent-shaped in section, abaxial epidermis usually present; differentiated proximal cells filling most of base medially, rectangular, little wider than distal cells to bulging, 2–5: 1, walls of basal-cells usually thin and hyaline; distal medial cells subquadrate to shortly rectangular, small, 1 (–2):1, 1-stratose or seldom 2-stratose; papillae solid or occasionally hollow, 2-fid, or 4–6 projections per lumen (occasionally flattened or compound), cell-walls evenly thickened, weakly sinuose, flat to bulging superficially. Specialized asexual reproduction occasionally by uni or multicellular gemmae, occurring in leaf-axils, or by irregularly obovoid multicellular brood bodies sometimes borne on rhizoids in the soil. Sexual condition dioicous or occasionally monoicous, rarely polygamous; perichaetia terminal, interior leaves usually sheathing in proximal half, long-oval to longlanceolate, longer than the cauline, laminal cells rhomboid in proximal half. Seta elongate, usually more than 1 cm. Capsule stegocarpous, theca ellipsoidal to cylindric, occasionally curved, short to rather long, annulus of 1–2 rows of vesiculose cells, often revoluble or deciduous in pieces; operculum short-conic to short-rostrate; peristome absent, rudimentary or of 32 teeth, these linear, straight or twisted to 2–4 times counterclockwise. Calyptra cucullate. Spores small, lightly papillose, light-brown. KOH laminal color reaction red, occasionally orange-red.
Distribution
Nearly worldwide in arctic, temperate, and highland tropical zones
Discussion
Species 27 (4 in the flora).
Bryoerythrophyllum was originally segregated from Didymodon (at the sectional level) by the red color of the plants, which is much heightened in 2% KOH solution. Chen P. C. (1941) produced a fine study of the Asian representation of the genus, and R. H. Zander (1978g) did a synopsis of the genus for the New World, and later (1980, 1981) added species with elongate, twisted peristomes, emphasizing a reduction series in peristome development. The D. vinealis group, however, is red in KOH but differs in the round to semicircular costal section with an abaxial stereid band rounded to semicircular in section (Bryoerythrophyllum generally has a somewhat more flattened section, with an abaxial stereid band reniform in section), and the leaf margins are not dentate. Bellibarbula differs by the sinuous costa beyond mid leaf and the poorly differentiated proximal leaf cells. Barbula species are yellow in KOH.
Selected References
Lower Taxa
Key
| 1 | Leaf ending in a sharp, stout mucro of elongate cells; costa much wider at mid leaf, adaxially bulging as a 1-stratose pad of cells; distal marginal cells epapillose in 2-6 rows; proximal cells poorly differentiated, quadrate | Bryoerythrophyllum columbianum |
| 1 | Leaf rounded to narrowly obtuse, often ending in an apiculus of one or a few cells; costa little widened or tapering to apex, weakly convex to weakly concave; distal marginal cells not differentiated in ornamentation; proximal cells usually well differentiated, rectangular | > 2 |
| 2 | Distal lamina often 2-stratose in patches distally; asexual reproduction, when present, as unicellular gemmae on axillary stalks; peristome twisted. | Bryoerythrophyllum inaequalifolium |
| 2 | Distal lamina 1-stratose; asexual reproduction, when present, as multicellular brood bodies; peristome straight, elongate to rudimentary or absent | > 3 |
| 3 | Dioicous, seldom fruiting; leaf margins plane beyond mid leaf or sometimes weakly recurved to near apex, entire, leaf base weakly differentiated; rhizoidal brood bodies occasionally present | Bryoerythrophyllum ferruginascens |
| 3 | Monoicous, commonly fruiting; leaf margins usually strongly recurved to near apex (if plane then dentate), entire or dentate, leaf base strongly differentiated; brood bodies absent in range of flora | Bryoerythrophyllum recurvirostrum |