Cleistocarpidium Ochyra & H. Bednarek-Ochyra, Fragm. Flor. Geobot. 41: 1035. 1996.
[Greek kleistos, unopened, and karpos, fruit; the indehiscent capsule lacks an operculum]
Kwok Leung Yip
Plants very small, loosely tufted. Costa strong, excurrent, awned. Perichaetial leaves proximally broadly ovate, abruptly subulate. Antheridia naked, in interior perichaetial leaf axils. Seta short. Capsule immersed, cleistocarpous, ovate, broader at the base, opaque, stomata many, scattered in proximal half of the capsule. Calyptra very small, mitraeform to cucullate, regularly 4-lobed at base.
Species ca. 2 (1 in the flora): widespread in eastern North America and Europe.
The calyptra of Cleistocarpidium is 4-lobed, often with a deep indention on one side (C. palustre in North America and Europe). The cryptoporic stomata of Cleistocarpidium are confined to the proximal half of the capsule, but not restricted to the extreme base as is the case with Pleuridium. The pale ovoid capsule may be slightly asymmetric. This genus includes Sporledera of European authors but not of Hampe 1837.
SELECTED REFERENCES
Ochyra, R. and H. Bednarek-Ochyra. 1996. Nomenclatural notes on mosses: 13. Cleistocarpidium, genus novum (Ditrichaceae). Fragm. Flor. Geobot. 41: 1934.
OTHER REFERENCES
Britton, E. G. 1894. Contributions to American bryology.---VIII. A Revision of the genus Bruchia, with descriptions of types, and one new species. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 21: 343--372.
Britton, E. G. 1913. Pleuridium. North American Flora 15(1): 55--58.
Deguchi, H., T. Matsui and Z. Iwatsuki. 1994. A new species of Pleuridium (Musci: Ditrichaceae) from Japan. J. Hattori Bot. Lab. 75: 23--32.
Nyholm, E. 1986. Illustrated Flora of Nordic Mosses, Fasc. 1. Fissidentaceae-Seligeriaceae. Lund.
Risse, S. 1991. Pleuridium palustre, an overlooked species of the bryoflora of Japan. Hikobia 11: 43--45.
Yip, K. L. 2000. A Revision of the Genus Pleuridium (Musci). Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Cincinnati.
