The Funariidae are a widespread group of

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

es in class

Bryopsida The Bryopsida constitute the largest class of mosses, containing 95% of all moss species. It consists of approximately 11,500 species, common throughout the whole world. The group is distinguished by having spore capsules with teeth that are '' ...

.Buck, William R. & Bernard Goffinet. 2000. "Morphology and classification of mosses", pages 71-123 ''in'' A. Jonathan Shaw & Bernard Goffinet (Eds.), ''Bryophyte Biology''. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). . The majority of species belong to the genera '' Funaria'' (c. 200 species) and '' Physcomitrium'' (c. 80 species).

Classification

The Funariidae include three monotypic orders, with around 350 species, most of which belong either to the genus ''Funaria'' or ''Physcomitrium''. : Order Encalyptales :: Family Encalyptaceae (2 genera, 35 species) : : Order Funariales :: Family Funariaceae (14 genera, ca. 300 species) : : Order Disceliales :: Family Disceliaceae (1 species '' Discelium nudum'')

Description

Species in the subclass Funariidae typically live on or near the ground. Their stems typically have a central strand differentiated from the surrounding cells. The

peristome Peristome (from the Greek language, Greek ''peri'', meaning 'around' or 'about', and ''stoma'', 'mouth') is an anatomical feature that surrounds an opening to an organ or structure. Some plants, fungi, and shelled gastropods have peristomes. In mo ...

teeth of their sporangia are arthrodontous, diplolepidous, and opposite.Goffinet, Bernard, & William R Buck. 2004. "Systematics of the Bryophyta (Mosses): from molecules to a revised classification", pages 205-239 ''in'' Bernard Goffinet, Victoria Holowell, & Robert Magill (Eds.), ''Molecular Systematics of Bryophytes''. (St. Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden Press). . They are acrocarpous, producing their archegonia at the upper tips of the stem, and hence

sporophyte A sporophyte () is one of the two alternation of generations, alternating multicellular organism, multicellular phases in the biological life cycle, life cycles of plants and algae. It is a diploid multicellular organism which produces asexual Spo ...

stalks arise from the tip of the stem as well. The capsule of the order Funariales has a well-defined ring of cells called an annulus. When these cells die, their walls rupture, allowing the sporangium lid to fall off, and revealing the

. In the other two orders, the annulus is not differentiated. In the Gigaspermales, the capsule is not raised above the plant on a stalk, but remains hidden from view among the leaves. In the Encalyptales, the capsule is jacketed inside the calyptra long after it is raised above the plant, giving the appearance of a tiny mushroom.

Gallery

File:Funaria hygrometrica (e, 144437-481001) 2951.JPG, Cross section of stem, showing the central strand. File:Funaria hygrometrica (e, 144437-481001) 2937.JPG, A single leaf, consisting of a single sheet of cells. File:Funaria hygrometrica (e, 144437-481001) 2931.JPG, Gametophytes of ''Funaria hygrometrica'' with the sporophyte generation emerging from the tips of the plants. File:Funaria hygrometrica (a, 144639-474820) 3514.jpg, Aging sporophytes of ''Funaria hygrometrica''. File:Funaria hygrometrica (f, 144605-481033) 0964.JPG, Tip of sporangium (capsule) showing the well-defined annulus of ''Funaria''. File:Funaria hygrometrica (f, 144605-481033) 0967.JPG, Sporangium after the annulus has released the operculum (lid), revealing the teeth of the peristome. File:Encalypta vulgaris (c, 153151-482334) 3332.JPG, Sporophytes of ''Encalypta vulgaris'', with their capsules still jacketed by calyptrae.

References

Plant subclasses Bryopsida Taxa named by Ryszard Ochyra {{Bryopsida-stub