Andreaea

Andreaea rupestris

Andreaea ( Klaffmoose ) is a moss - genus of the family Andreaeaceae. It is named after Johann Gerhard Reinhard Andreae ( 1724-1793 ), a pharmacist from Hannover.

Features

The Klaffmoose are growing cushion-shaped, reddish, dark brown or blackish, small to medium sized Moose with short, erect, simple or slightly branched stems. The egg-shaped or lance-shaped leaves are gradually or suddenly pointed and have a simple or no midrib. In the lower Stämmchenabschnitt the leaves are small and fall off soon. The leaf cells are renewed on leaf base often and sinuate, the upper sheet portion square to roundish and thick-walled, smooth or papillose. The spore capsule is lifted up from the moss plant with the pseudopod, it has no peristome and no lid is brownish red tipped to black, are oval, clear and open with usually four longitudinal cracks. The antheridia and archegonia are located at different branches of the same plant ( autoecious ), rarely dioecious ( dioecious ), here, the archegonia and antheridia are on different plants.

Occurrence

The Klaffmoose are common in the Arctic, Antarctic and montane areas, mainly in the southern hemisphere. They are lime-intolerant and grow on silicate rock or sandy soils.

Species

The genus Andreaea is the largest genus within her family Andreaeaceae with about 90 species worldwide, of which 10 are in Europe.

Below is a selection of species occurring in Europe:

• Andreaea crassinervia
• Andreaea heinemannii
• Andreaea nivalis
• Andreaea rothii
• Andreaea rupestris