Fissidentaceae

Diagnosis: Plants small, to ca. 2.5 mm. Leaves 1 x 0.35 mm; apex acute, vaginant laminae ± equal; margins serrulate-crenulate, entire to slightly denticulate on the vaginant laminae, limbate along the entire length of the vaginant laminae; costa percurrent to ending 2-3 cells below the apex; cells quadrate to hexagonal, 5-7 µm, unipapillose.

Distribution: Mexico; Central America; Caribbean, Western and Northern South America, Brazil: North Ventral Pacific

Ecology: In non-flooded lowland to montane forest, 35-2400 m, on rocks or soil.

Notes: Fissidens submarginatus is related to F. perfalcatus. In F. perfalcatus the vaginant laminae are very broad and nearly encircle the stem. The limbidium on most leaves of F. submarginatus usually extends the length of the vaginant laminae and may run onto the adjacent ventral laminae. In F. perfalcatus the limbidia on all leaves except the perichaetial ones typically end below the distal ends of the vaginant laminae.

Type Citation: Flora 29: 133. 1846.

Other Published Figures: P. A. Florschutz. 1964. Musci. Flora of Surinam 6(1): 1-271. fig. 14, as F. intermedius