Andreaeaceae

Andreaea rupestris

The Andreaeaceae or Klaffmoose are a family of mosses. They form a distinct subclass within the class Andreaeopsida.

Features

The protonema of Klaffmoose are lobed to band form. It is fastened by threads to the substrate einzellreihigen. The construction of the gametophyte is substantially similar to the Bryopsida. There are mostly small, blackish to reddish moss. The leaves are rippenlos, often they have any.

The male gametangia ( antheridia ) are on long stems from two cell lines and have three longitudinal grooves. The opening takes place as in the Sphagnopsida without a cap.

The capsule of the sporophyte also has peculiarities: The capsule is lifted at Andreaea not by a stalk ( seta ), but as with the Sphagnopsida by a pseudopodium, a structure of the gametophyte. The archesporium arched over the columella. The capsule opens with four longitudinal cracks (rarely with one or six); therefore they also have the name Klaffmoose. This opening is reminiscent of the liverworts.

Occurrence

The Andreaeaceae are felsbewohnende, akrokarpe, Kalkscheune mosses. They are found worldwide and are mainly found in mountainous and Arctic and Antarctic regions.

System

The Andreaeaceae, in addition to also own subclass forming Andreaeobryaceae the only family of Andreaeopsida. The group is very isolated. The number of classes varies depending on the author between one and four, distinguished here by three:

• Andreaea is the largest genus with about 90 species worldwide, of which 10 are in Europe.
• Achroschisma wilsonii a monotypic genus from New Zealand and South America
• Bicosta fuegiana a monotypic genus from southern South America