Myriniaceae

Plants small to medium-sized, in loose or dense mats, yellowish or sometimes dark olive green. Stems creeping, pinnate or irregularly branched; branches horizontally spreading, short, blunt, terete-foliate to sometimes slightly flattened, often flagelliform-attenuate; paraphyllia absent. Stem and branch leaves similar or differentiated, loosely appressed when dry, somewhat spreading when moist, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, concave; base decurrent or not; margins entire or serrulate; apex bluntly acute, obtuse, or acuminate; ecostate, costa double and short, or single, faint, 1/4–1/2 leaf length, sometimes unevenly 2-fid distally; laminal cells smooth or mammillose abaxially by projecting distal ends, walls firm; proximal cells oblate to quadrate near margins; medial and distal cells short-rhomboidal or oblong-rhomboidal. Sexual condition autoicous or phyllodioicous; perigonial leaves ovate, short-acute, ecostate, proximal laminal cells bulging-rectangular, medial and distal cells rhombic to linear; perichaetial leaves sheathing, outer leaves ovate, short, inner leaves oblong-lanceolate, ecostate, proximal laminal cells rectangular to long-hexagonal, medial and distal cells rhombic to linear. Seta yellow to orangish red, elongate, twisted. Capsule erect to suberect, light to dark brown, oblong to oblong-cylindric, smooth; annulus absent; operculum convex-conic or obliquely conic-rostrate, blunt to short-pointed; peristome double; exostome teeth 16, bordered, yellow, cross striolate in proximal 3/4, slightly trabeculate, lightly papillose distally or nearly smooth; endostome basal membrane low, segments 16, yellow, equaling exostome length, lightly papillose, cilia rudimentary or absent. Calyptra cucullate, smooth, naked. Spores spheric, papillose, yellow.

Distribution

North America, West Indies, Eurasia.

Discussion

Genera 7, species ca. 30 (2 genera, 2 species in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Myrinia, Schwetschkeopsis

Illustrations

	Family ⠉	Taxon	Illustrator ⠉
	Myriniaceae	Myrinia pulvinata	Patricia M. Eckel
	Myriniaceae	Schwetschkeopsis fabronia	Patricia M. Eckel

Key

1	Leaf margins entire; medial and distal laminal cells short-rhomboidal; costae single.	Myrinia
1	Leaf margins serrulate; medial and distal laminal cells oblong-rhomboidal; ecostate or costae double.	Schwetschkeopsis