Genera

Syntrichia

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Identification Key:

         
1 Plants with vegetative diaspores 2
1 Plants without vegetative diaspores 5
2 Vegetative diaspores globular, ovate or rounded, smooth, arising on the ventral side of the leaf (laminar or costal gemmae) 3
2 Vegetative diaspores in the form of brood leaves, at the stem apex or in the axils of the upper leaves, often forming a rosette at the shoot apex S. laevipila
3 Leaf with hair point; costal gemmae 4
3 Leaf without hair point; laminar gemmae S. latifolia
4 Upper and mid-lamina cells with 1-2 simple, sometimes bifurcate, papillae per cell, only on dorsal side of the lamina; lamina unistratose; leaf margins plane or slightly incurved to the apex S. papillosa
4 Upper and mid-lamina cells with 6-10 bifurcate papillae per cell, on dorsal and ventral side of the lamina; upper third and middle zone of the lamina irregularly bistratose; leaf margins recurved up to the upper third of the apex S. rigescens
5 Upper third of lamina unistratose 10
5 Upper third of lamina bistratose 6
6 Lamina regularly or irregularly bistratose at midleaf 7
6 Lamina unistratose at midleaf 9
7 Dorsal side of the costa strongly papillose, with simple, bifurcate, or pedicellate and branched papillae; leaf margins recurved to the apex, not constricted at midleaf; costa generally with substereids 8
7 Dorsal side of the costa weakly papillose, with simple, not pedicellate papillae; leaf margins recurved up to the upper third, sometimes up to the apex, sometimes constricted at midleaf; costa generally without substereids S. handelii
8 Plants 0.4-1.1 cm high; leaves mostly patent or spreading, rarely recurved when moist; costa 75-115 µm wide, with simple, bifurcate, or pedicellate and branched papillae on the dorsal side, 2.5-30 µm high S. caninervis var. caninervis
8 Plants 2.5-7 cm high, leaves mostly recurved, rarely spreading when moist; costa 120-135 µm wide, with bi-trifurcate, pedicellate and stellately branched papillae on the dorsal side, (15)17.5-25 µm S. caninervis var. pseudodesertorum
9 Leaf without hair point; costa with bifurcate or branched papillae in the upper third of the dorsal side, 5-12.5 µm high, smooth below S. caninervis var. abranchesii
9 Leaf with hair point; costa with branched papillae in the upper third of the dorsal side, 12.5-37.5 µm high, with simple or bifurcate papillae below, 2.5-5 µm high S. caninervis var. gypsophila
10 Costa without hydroids 11
10 Costa with hydroids 18
11 Hair point hyaline, brown at base; row of dorsal surface cells in upper third of costa, stereids 12
11 Hair point orange or reddish; row of dorsal surface cells in upper third of costa, similar to those of the lamina S. norvegica
12 Costa transverse section with 1-2(3) dorsal stereid rows; leaves constricted at midleaf; margins plane or slightly recurved up to midleaf 13
12 Costa transverse section with (2)3-6 dorsal stereid rows; leaves not constricted at midleaf; margins recurved up to the upper third or up to the leaf apex 14
13 Mid-lamina cells with 4-6(8) bifurcate, not pedicellate papillae per cell, 2.5 µm high S. virescens
13 Mid-lamina cells with 1 branched, pedicellate papilla per cell, 10-15(17.5) µm high S. minor
14 Leaves margins revolute up to near the apex, sometimes up to upper third; mid-lamina cells (5)7.5-12.5 µm 15
14 Leaves margins revolute up to the upper third, rarely up to midleaf; mid-lamina cells 12.5-17.5 µm wide S. calcicola
15 Papillae on mid-lamina cells not pedicellate, 2.5 µm high 16
15 Papillae on mid-lamina cells pedicellate, 5-12.5(15) m high 17
16 Leaf apex not hyaline, generally rounded, not tapering into a hair point S. ruralis var. ruralis
16 Leaf apex usually hyaline and acuminate, tapering into a hair point S. ruralis var. ruraliformis
17 Mid-lamina cells with only one pedicellate, branched, star-shaped papilla per cell; papillae on the dorsal side of the costa pedicellate and branching as a star-shape, or bifurcate, rarely simple, 2.5-7.5 µm high S. papillosissima
17 Mid-lamina cells with (2)4-6 bifurcate, sometimes pedicellate, rarely branched star-shaped papillae; papillae on the dorsal side of the costa simple, 2.5-5 m S. subpapillosissima
18 Hair point smooth, rarely weakly spinulose 19
18 Hair point spinose or leaf without hair point 20
19 Peristome basal membrane 0.25-0.6 mm high; leaves bordered or not, with border consisting of 2-5 rows of thicker-walled less papillose cells, sometimes smooth; hair point (0.2)0.5-1(1.7) mm high; plants mainly epiphytic S. laevipila
19 Peristome basal membrane 0.09-0.16 mm high; leaves not bordered; hair point 0.1-0.5 mm high; plants mainly terricolous or saxicolous S. sinensis
20 Mid-lamina cells (5)7.5-12.5(15) x 5-10(12.5) µm; plants dioicous 21
20 Mid-lamina cells (10)12.5-17.5(22.5) x (10)12.5-15(17.5) µm; plants synoicous or dioicous 22
21 Leaves with hair point; hair point (0.3)0.7-2.4 mm long S. montana
21 Leaves mucronate; mucro 20-60 mm long S. montana var. calva
22 Leaves not fragile, intact, with hair point, usually constricted at midleaf 23
22 Leaves fragile, usually broken, with mucro, not constricted at midleaf S. fragilis
23 Upper and mid-lamina cells with (4)6-8(10) bifurcate, not pedicellate papillae per cell, 2.5-5 µm high S. princeps
23 Upper and mid-lamina cells with one bifurcate, trifurcate or branched and pedicellate papilla per cell, (10)15-17.5(22.5) µm high S. echinata