''Andreaea'' is a genus of rock

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

es described by Johann Hedwig in 1801. They are small, delicate acrocarpous mosses (meaning that the capsules are formed at the tips of vertical branches) that form dark brown or reddish cushions on wet siliceous rocks in mountainous areas. The capsule lacks the peristome teeth and operculum of other mosses, and opens by splitting along 4 vertical slits, the four valves remaining joined at the base and apex. The capsule of ''Andreaea'' has no seta, but the

sporophyte A sporophyte () is the diploid multicellular stage in the life cycle of a plant or alga which produces asexual spores. This stage alternates with a multicellular haploid gametophyte phase. Life cycle The sporophyte develops from the zygote pr ...

(''Spf'' in the diagram below) instead is supported by a pseudopodium (''ps'') derived from gametophyte tissue, as in ''Sphagnum'' and the columella is enclosed within the

sporangium A sporangium (; from Late Latin, ) is an enclosure in which spores are formed. It can be composed of a single cell or can be multicellular. Virtually all plants, fungi, and many other lineages form sporangia at some point in their life cy ...

. The spores germinate to give thalloid

protonemata A protonema (plural: protonemata) is a thread-like chain of cells that forms the earliest stage of development of the gametophyte (the haploid phase) in the life cycle of mosses. When a moss first grows from a spore, it starts as a ''germ tube'', ...

Species

In alphabetical order:The Plant List, search for ''Andreaea''
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References

External links

* Zander, Richard H. 2007. ''Bryophyte Flora of North America''

* Universidad Complutense de Madrid. MUSGOS - Biodiversidad y Taxonomía de Plantas Criptógamas

{{Taxonbar, from=Q139017 Andreaeaceae Moss genera