PRICE, MICHELLE J. Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, MO 63166-0299, USA. - A preliminary cladistic analysis of the Dicranoideae (Dicranaceae, Musci) based on morphology.
The Dicranaceae, a large and variable moss family, contains around
1000 species and 55 genera that are divided into several weakly
demarcated subfamilies. The large subfamily Dicranoideae is generally
characterized by: a narrow costa; well developed alar cells;
differentiated perichaetial leaves; a short capsule neck; phaneroporic
stomata; and variously bifid or undivided papillose peristome teeth. A
preliminary cladistic analysis of 51 taxa using 35 morphological
characters indicates that there are two main groups in the subfamily.
One centered around Holomitrium (including
Eucamptodontopsis and Schliephackea) and one around
Dicranum-Leucoloma. This analysis has highlighted some of the
problems associated with character evaluation in a group where
characters are variable both between and within genera.
Key words: cladistic analysis, Dicranaceae, morphology, Moss