Didymodon
This photo of Didymodon came from the following
website http://picasaweb.google.com/GenneySNH
Didymodon, a genus within the family, Pottiaceae, characteristically forms greenish-red to redish- brown, to tan, olive, and, often, black cushions and tufts(Crum, 1983). The species, Didymodon Asperifolius, is common throughout Ohio.
Habitat and Distribution Didymodon is typically found on a wide variety of dry rock, tree trunks, forest ground, and soil substata(Bryophyte of North America, 2010). This genus is distributed widely throughout the world.
Gametophyte Distinctions between the species of Didymodon are based largely on the characteristics of the gametophyte. This genus is dioecious. On forked stems, the lanceolate to long-lanceolate leaves are erect and hygroscopic (Crum, 1983). The elongate setae is terminal and erect, and the capsule is symmetric. The 16 peristome teeth are joined at the base, and are somewhat oblique. Typically, the calyptrae are naked and smooth (Crum, 1983).
Sporophyte The sporophyte of Didymodon is rare (Cano, Gallego, Guerra, & Jimenez, 2010). The timing of sporophyte maturation could be a possible reason for the lack of phenotypic data (Zander, 1979).
Resources
Bryophyte of North America. (2010). Didymondon in bryophyte flora of North America.
Retrieved from www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=50&taxon_id=110097
Cano, M., Gallego, M. T., Guerra, J., & Jimenez, J. A. (2010). Pottiaceae I. T. I. S.
Retrieved from www.pottiaceae.com/index.php?mod=cite: http://www.pottiaceae.com/index.php?mod=cite
Crum, H. (1983). Mosses (Vol. 3). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan.
Zander, R. (1979). Patterns of sporophyte msturation dates in the Pottiaceae. The Bryologist , 538-
558.
Written by Cory Frederick
May 2010