''Weymouthia'' is a genus of two species belonging to the
feather mosses.
''Weymouthia'' occurs in southern South America, New Zealand and south-eastern Australia and
Lord Howe Island. It is characterised by (i) its
monopodial, often hanging growth form; (ii) slight differences between stem and branch leaves; and (iii) the straight perichaetial leaves. In contrast to other genera in the Lembophyllaceae, secondary stems appear unable to arch back to the
substrate
Substrate may refer to:
Physical layers
*Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached
** Substrate (locomotion), the surface over which an organism lo ...
and then root and form a new creeping stem.
Etymology
''Weymouthia'' was named in honour of
William Anderson Weymouth (1842–1932), a prominent Tasmanian botanist.
The species
epithet
An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...
''mollis'' meaning soft, flabby, weak or feeble in Latin, refers to the exclusively hanging branches in this species. The species epithet ''cochlearifolia'' refers to the spoon-shaped leaves that resemble those of
scurvy-grass.
Taxonomy
''Weymouthia'' has traditionally been assigned to the
Meteoriaceae, mainly because of the hanging branches. Later the genus was included in the Lembophyllaceae,
but according to recent cladistic analyses based on DNA, this family is
polyphyletic, and its revision is to be expected.
Key to the species
Links to photos
''Weymouthia mollis''''Weymouthia cochlearifolia''
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7990394
Lembophyllaceae
Flora of Australia
Flora of New Zealand
Flora of Chile
Flora of Argentina
Moss genera