Sematophyllaceae

Sematophyllum Mitten

Kingdom: Plantae Rank: Genus Parent: Sematophyllaceae Status: Valid

Morphological Description

Diagnosis: Plants small to robust, in mostly lustrous, ± yellow-green, often dense, extensive mats. Stems creeping, sparsely to freely but irregularly branched, the branches prostrate to erect, densely foliate, often curved. Stem and branch leaves similar, erect-spreading to homomallous to falcate-secund, lanceolate to ovate, acute to acuminate, rarely obtuse, usually concave; margins entire to serrulate above, subentire below, often reflexed; costa short and double or absent; cells rhomboidal to linear, sometimes flexuose, smooth or rarely unipapillose, often thick-walled, mostly not or only weakly porose, often becoming shorter in the apex if acute; alar cells enlarged and inflated, often in 2 rows in basal angles, usually yellow, the lower ones mostly oblong, the upper ones usually quadrate. Seatae elongate, smooth, usually reddish; capsules mostly pendent, rarely erect to suberect, small, usually ± asymmetric, ovoid to short-cylindric; operculum mostly obliquely and slenderly long-rostrate; peristome double, exostome teeth strongly shouldered, strongly bordered, on the front surface with a zig-zag median line, cross-striolate below, coarsely papillose above. Calyptra cucullate, naked, usually smooth. Spores spherical, finely papillose.