Friday, November 18, 2011

Specimen #8 Platygyrium Moss

Fig. 1 Peristome teeth of Platygyrium moss. 

Fig. 2 Close up of branch of Platygyrium moss.
Specimen 8
Name: Platygyrium repens
Family: Hypnaceae
Collection Date: Oct. 8, 2011
Habitat: decaying log
Location: Hiram College Field Station woods, Ohio
Description: light green, pale tipped, branched, creeping, with sporophytes erect, lateral
Collector: Jennifer Friedler

Key used: Conard, H.S. and P.L. Redfearn, Jr. 1979. How to Know the Mosses and Liverworts 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill, Boston, Mass.

Keying Steps:
Introduction key pg. 19
1a. has stem and leaves; erect, ascending, prostrate, or hanging...2
2b. No hayline cells...3
3b. Green...pg. 28. Order Bryidae

Key to Families/Genera Bryidae pg. 28
1b. Green, one layer of cells...3
3b. Leaves in three or more rows...7
7b. No isodiometeric cells...8
8b. Leaves well developed and persistent...9
9b. Has a seta...10
10b. Distinct stem; has operculum...17
17b. Large plant...20
20b. No lamellae...28
28b. Not growing on rich organic soil, bones, or other organic matter...33
33b. Branched stems...139
139b. Leaves smooth...174
174b. Paraphyllia or multicellular propagula few, not usually seen...182
182b. Costa single short or absent...183
183b. Costa lacking...184
184b. Costa lacking...230
230b. Terrestrial...231
231b. Median leaf cells long 5-20:1...239
239a. One inflated cell and many quadrate cells (alar)...pg. 209 Platygyrium

Platygyrium repens

“Plants in flat, dark,- yellowish,- golden,- or brownish-green, glossy mats, branches ascending, usully bearing clusters of minute gemmae, capsules erect and symetric, on logs, stumps, tree trunks, rocks, British Columbia to New Brunswick and throughout eastern North America” (Conrad 209).

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Specimen #7 Porella platyphylla

Fig. 1 Porella Platyphylla next to quarter.  Branched leafy liverwort.

Fig. 2 Underside of porella platyphylla with underleaves.

Fig. 3 Dorsal side of leaves of Porella platyphylla.

Fig. 4 Toothed leaf of porella platyphlla.
Specimen 7
Name: Porella platyphylla
Family: Porellaceae
Collection Date: Oct. 4, 2011
Habitat: damp rock
Location: West Woods
Description: Small leafy liverwort, light green, not glossy, with leaves complicate-bilobed, incubous
Collector: Jennifer Friedler

Key used: Conard, H.S. and P.L. Redfearn, Jr. 1979. How to Know the Mosses and Liverworts 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill, Boston, Mass.

Keying Steps:
Introduction key pg. 19
1b. Stem and leaves, 2 rows with third rod on underside of stem...4
4b. leafy; more than one chloroplast per cell...5
5b. distinct leaf and stem...8
8b. not fossombronia (this step judged by archegonia which my sample lacked so I looked at what 8a Fossombronia lead to)...9
9a. rhizoids present...pg 232 Jungermanniales

Key to Order Jungermanniales pg. 232
1b. leaves entire, toothed or divided at tip...6
6b. leaves bilobed without bifurcate vitta...7
7b. leaves incubous, slope toward base of stem...39
39b. Leaves complicate-bilobed...42
42b. Underleaves present...44
44a. underleaves unlobed...45
45a. 2.5-5mm wide...265 Porella

Key to Genus Porella pg. 265
1b. not glossy, small trigones...4
4b. underleaves wider than stem...5
5b. ventral lobes narrower than underleaves, somewhat tappering at apex...Porella platyphylla

“Plant is dull yellow green to brownish patches, shoots 1-2.5mm wide, up to 8cm long, 2-3 pinnate, on rocks, trees, and soil, widespread in North America” (Conrad ).

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Specimen #6 Pellia



Fig. 1 Pellia next to a quarter.

Fig. 2 Pellia thallus close up.
Name: Pellia
Family: Pelliaceae
Collection Date: Oct. 8, 2011
Habitat: Damp rock
Location: Hiram College Field Station woods, Ohio
Description:Branching thalloid, pale green, translucent, with more than one chloroplast per cell
Collector: Jennifer Friedler

Key used: Conard, H.S. and P.L. Redfearn, Jr. 1979. How to Know the Mosses and Liverworts 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill, Boston, Mass.

Keying Steps:
Introduction key pg. 19
1b. Plant thalloid...4
4b. More than one chloroplast per cell...5
5a. Strongly flattened, thalloid, without distinction between stem and leaf...6
6b. translucent or transparent...7
7b. Thallai ribbon shaped, no pear shaped sacs...pg 238 Metzgeriales

Key to Order Metzgeriales pg. 238
1b. Thallos...2
2b. Deeply lobed without blue green algae...3
3b. midrib ill defined, 1 cell thick at margins...6
6a plant 4-16mm wide...pg 277 Pellia

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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Specimen #5 Grain-of-Wheat Moss

Name: Diphyscium folioso
Family: Buxbaumiaceae
Collection Date: Oct. 8, 2011
Habitat: Damp soil and rocks
Location: South Chagrin Reservation, Ohio
Description: 
Collector: Jennifer Friedler

Key used: Conard, H.S. and P.L. Redfearn, Jr. 1979. How to Know the Mosses and Liverworts 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill, Boston, Mass.

Keying Steps:
Introduction key pg. 19
1a. has stem and leaves; erect, ascending, prostrate, or hanging...2
2b. No hayline cells...3
3b. Green...pg. 28. Bryidae

Key to Subclass Bryidae pg. 28
1b. Green, one layer of cells...3
3b. Leaves in three or more rows...7
7b. No isodiometeric cells...8
8a. leaves small, rarely seen...9
9a. Capsule sessile (without seta), immersed in bristle-tipped perichaetial leaves...pg 222 Diphyscium

Diphyscium foliosum
"Plant small, in rigid, dark green, brown, to blackish extensive tufts, capsules nearly, sesile in forests on soil, humus, shaded banks, cliff, rock walls of ravines and gorges, wide spread in eastern America" (Conrad 222).


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Specimen #4 Liverwort

Figure 1. Thalloid liverwort growing damp  rock wall.
Figure 2. Close up of thalloid liverwort with clearly visible air pores.
Figure 3. Air pores of thalloid liverwort.
Figure 4. Clear rhizoids of thalloid liverwort.
Name: Conocephalum
Family:  Conocephalaceae
Collection Date: Sept. 26, 2011
Habitat: Damp soil and rocks
Location: South Chagrin Reservation, Ohio
Description:Branching thalloid, dark green to green-yellow with polygon shaped divisions across the upper surface.  One air pore per polygonal section, sitting atop a mound of clear cells.  Rhizoids clear.  Growing vertically on the face of a damp rock wall. 
Collector: Jennifer Friedler

Key used: Conard, H.S. and P.L. Redfearn, Jr. 1979. How to Know the Mosses and Liverworts 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill, Boston, Mass.

Keying Steps:
Introduction key pg. 19
1b. Plant thalloid...4
4b. More than one chloroplast per cell...5
5a. Strongly flattened, thalloid, without distinction between stem and leaf...6
6a. Opaque thallus...pg 239 Marchantiales

Key to Order Marchantiales pg. 239
1a. Air pores visible without a lense...8
8b. Thalli without gammae and without marginal scales on underside...10
10a. Air pore on low mound of colorless cells...pg 283 Conocephalum


"Thalli pale to dark green above, purplish below, 1-2 cm wide, up to 20com long, dichotomously branching, upper surface with distinct polygonal areas, pores distinct, on moist rocks and soil, wide spread in North America" (Conrad 283).


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Specimen #3 Atrichum Moss

Figure 1. Maturing operculate capsule with calyptra. 

Figure 2. Close up of leaf (with costa and lamellae) of Atrichum crispum.

Name: Atrichum crispum Atrichum Moss 
Family:  Polytrichaceae
Collection Date: Oct. 8, 2011
Habitat: Damp soil
Location: Hiram College Field Station woods
Description: Dark green, well defined leaves with costa, spiraling around the stem.  Sporophyte capsule operculate, maturing to a brown-red color.  Found in a large tuft on soil at the base of a tree.
Collector: Jennifer Friedler

Key used: Conard, H.S. and P.L. Redfearn, Jr. 1979. How to Know the Mosses and Liverworts 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill, Boston, Mass.

Keying Steps:
Introduction key pg. 19
1a. has stem and leaves; erect, ascending, prostrate, or hanging...2
2b. No hayline cells...3
3b. Green...pg. 28. Bryidae

Key to Subclass Bryidae pg. 28
1b. Green, one layer of cells...3
3b. Leaves in three or more rows...7
7b. No isodiometeric cells...8
8b. Leaves well developed and persistent...9
9b. Has a seta...10
10b. Distinct stem; has operculum...17
17b. Large plant...20
20a. Lamellae on costa...21
21b. Has lamallae...23
23b. Leaves toothed on margin; not oval....24
24a. Calyptra smooth...25
25b. No cilia on leaf; bordered with long narrow cells...pg 223 Atrichum

Key to Genera Atrichum pg. 223
1b. levaes broad; 0-6 lamallae...2
2a. leaves 1.5m wide or more; not collenchymatous...3
3a. 0-3 lamellae; striate papillae on margins...Atrichum crispum

"Plants small to moderatly robust, in dull yellowish-green tufts on soil in mountains, Ontario to Quebec and Nova Scotia south to Iowa, Tennessee to Florida" (Conrad 224).

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Specimen #2 Hornwort

Figure 1. Phaeoceros growing on rock wall.

Figure 2. Phaeoceros  with mature sporophyte.
Name: Phaeoceros
Family: Notothyladaceae
Collection Date: Sept. , 2011
Habitat: Terrestrial; growing on rocks and soil; damp areas
Location: South Chagrin Reservation, Ohio
Description: Lobed, thalloid, slick/slimy, dark green appearance with hornlike sporophytes growing directly from the thallus.
Collector: Jennifer Friedler

Key used: Conard, H.S. and P.L. Redfearn, Jr. 1979. How to Know the Mosses and Liverworts 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill, Boston, Mass.

Keying Steps:
Introduction key pg. 19
1b. Plants thalloid...4
4a. Thalloid with one chloroplast per cell...pg 230 Anthocerotae

Key to Family Anthocerotae pg. 230
1a. capsule erect, 1-3cm long, becoming black after splitting...2
2? spores yellow...Phaeoceros

"Thallus dark green, .5-3cm in diameter, deeply lobed, on moist soil and rocks, widespread in North America" (Conrad 231). 

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