Erpodiaceae

Erpodium hodgkinsoniae, photographed by Heino Lepp.

Belongs within: Musci.

The Erpodiaceae are a family of mosses found primarily in tropical and subtropical parts of the world.

Characters (from Pursell & Allen 2007): Plants small, prostrate, usually freely branched, usually in mats. Stems smooth, radiculose, rhizoids smooth, in clusters contiguous to leaf insertion on abaxial side; axillary hairs minute, 2-3 cells in length, basal cell small, apical cell enlarged, more or less clavate; paraphyllia none; pseudoparaphyllia minute, ovate, acute; epidermal layer more or less bulging, outer cortical cells small, firm-walled in 1-2 layers, similar to epidermis, interior cortical cells somewhat uniform, enlarged, thin-walled; central strand absent. Leaves of stems and branches similar, usually imbricate, more or less monomorphic and spirally arranged, or distinctly dimorphic and arranged in two dorsal and two ventral rows, erect or spreading and more or less complanate when dry, spreading and often more or less complanate when moist, bilaterally symmetric or asymmetric, lanceolate to ovate or elliptic, rounded, obtuse, or acute, acuminate to subulate, ecostate; margin elimbate, entire; laminal cells firm-walled, smooth or pluripapillose, distal cells quadrate (including rhombic) to hexagonal, oblate-hexagonal or rhomboidal, proximal cells oblate-oblong in several marginal rows, often elongate in mid-proximal region. Specialized asexual reproduction absent. Sexual condition autoicous; perigonia gemmiform, axillary; perichaetia terminal on short axillary branches, leaves erect, usually enlarged and sheathing sporophyte at maturity. Sporophytes usually numerous, solitary in perichaetia. Seta short to nearly absent, usually straight. Capsule immersed to shortly exserted, erect, radially symmetric, oblong- or ovoid-cylindric, pale yellow to yellow-brown; exothecial cells thin-walled, oblong to oblong-hexagonal, estomatose or stomatose, stomata superficial, restricted to base or proximal half of theca; annuli none to well developed; peristome none, or diplolepidous, composed of 16 papillose, lanceolate teeth, or reduced to irregular, pale, papillose segments; opercula conic-apiculate to conic-rostrate. Calyptra small, usually covering only opercula and distal ends of thecae, mitrate, lobed, smooth to ± papillose, more or less plicate, plicae often serrate or serrulate, or rarely, large, twisted, covering capsules completely and clasping the distal end of seta, or rarely, cucullate, more or less papillose, non-plicate. Spores finely papillose to nearly smooth, relatively large.

<==Erpodiaceae
    |--Aulacopilum Wilson 1848 SK02
    |--Wildia Müll.Hal. & Broth. 1891 SK02
    `--Erpodium (Brid.) Brid. 1827 SK02
         |--E. beccarii Müll.Hal. ex Venturi 1872 SK02
         |    |--E. b. var. beccarii SK02
         |    `--E. b. var. longicalyptratum Stone 1997 SK02
         |--E. biseriatum (Austin) Austin 1877 SK02
         |--E. coronatum (Hooker & Wilson) Mitt. 1869 SK02
         |    |--E. c. var. coronatum SK02
         |    `--E. c. var. australiense (Stone) Stone 1997 [=Erpodium australiense Stone 1982] SK02
         |--E. glaucum (Wilson) Stone 1997 [=Aulacopilum glaucum Wilson 1848] SK02
         |--E. hodgkinsoniae Hampe & Müll.Hal. 1887 [=Aulacopilum hodgkinsoniae (Hampe & Müll.Hal.) Broth. 1905] SK02
         |--E. mangiferae Muell. 1872 [incl. Aulacopilum luzonense Bartram 1939] B05
         `--E. solmsiellaceum (Müll.Hal. & Broth.) Stone 1997 (see below for synonymy) SK02

Erpodium solmsiellaceum (Müll.Hal. & Broth.) Stone 1997 [=Wildia solmsiellacea Müll.Hal. & Broth. 1891; incl. Aulacopilum wildii (n. n.)] SK02

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B05] Bhattacharyya, P. K. 2005. Bryophyte flora of Barddhaman district, West Bengal. Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India 47 (1-4): 11-42.

Pursell, R. A., & B. H. Allen. 2007. Erpodiaceae Müller Hal. In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee (eds) Flora of North America North of Mexico, vol. 27, pp. 470-474. New York and Oxford.

[SK02] Streimann, H., & N. Klazenga. 2002. Catalogue of Australian Mosses. Flora of Australia Supplementary Series 17. Australian Biological Resources Study: Canberra.