Skeleton Guide to the Acrocarps

A Perspective Oriented Guide for the Identification of North American Moss Genera
Home	Overview	Abbreviated Overview	Concordance	Geographical Abbreviations

Skeleton to Rarely Branched (mostly acrocarpous) Mosses Revised through 23 July 2012 *Reminder* - a dagger (†) indicates that not all of the species within the given genus have the characters defining that Group.
Group A1 – Shoots flattened or angular, i.e., not round (Sub-Guide)
Acaulon†	Distichium	Paludella
Aulacomnium†	Erpodium	Plagiomnium
Bryoxiphium	Fissidens	Schistostega
Catoscopium	Meesia†	Triquetrella
Conostomum
Group A2 – Shoots julaceous both wet and dry (Sub-Guide)
Anomobryum	Bryum†	Plagiobryum
Aongstroemia	Conostomum	Pleuridium†
Aulacomnium†
Group A3 – Stems densely tomentose (Sub-Guide)
Anacolia	Dicranum†	Rhizomnium†
Aulacomnium†	Paludella	Scopelophila†
Cinclidium	Polytrichum†	Zygodon†
Group A4 – Stems red (Sub-Guide)
Anacolia	Cinclidium	Pohlia†
Anomobryum	Epipterygium	Rhizomnium†
Aongstroemia	Mnium†	Roellia
Blindia	Philonotis†	Trachycystis
Bryum†	Plagiobryum
Group A5 – Leaves squarrose-recurved (Sub-Guide)
Barbula†	Paludella	Tortula†
Dicranella†	Pleurochaete	Trichodon
Didymodon†	Rhexophyllum	Triquetrella
Leptodontium
Group A6 – Leaves falcate-secund (Sub-Guide)
Andreaeobryum	Dicranum†	Paraleucobryum†
Dicranella†	Kiaeria†
Group A7 – Leaves subulate / setaceous (Sub-Guide)
Anacolia	Dicranella†	Orthodontium†
Archidium†	Dicranodontium	Paraleucobryum
Arctoa	Dicranoweisia	Pleuridium†
Bartramia†	Dicranum†	Pseudoditrichum
Blindia	Ditrichum†	Pyrrhobryum
Brachydontium	Eccremidium	Seligeria†
Brothera	Kiaeria	Symblepharis
Bruchia†	Leptobryum	Trematodon†
Campylopus†	Oncophorus†	Trichodon
Group A8 – Leaves dimorphic (Sub-Guide)
Epipterygium	Erpodium
Group A9 – Leaves with hair-points or awns (Sub-Guide)
Acaulon†	Erpodium†	Pyramidula
Aloina†	Grimmia†	Schistidium†
Brachymenium†	Jaffueliobryum	Splachnum†
Bryum†	Lorentziella	Stegonia†
Campylopus†	Orthotrichum†	Tetraplodon†
Coscinodon	Phascum	Tortula†
Crossidium	Polytrichum†	Ulota†
Desmatodonv	Pseudocrossidium†	Venturiella
Encalypta†	Pterygoneurum	Voitia
Group A10 – Leaves with lamellae, ridges, or filaments (Sub-Guide)
Aloina	Dicranum†	Polytrichastrum
Atrichum†	Dryptodon	Polytrichum
Bartramiopsis	Lyellia	Psilopilum
Campylopus†	Oligotrichum	Pterygoneurum
Crossidium	Pogonatum	Saelania
Group A11 – Leaves undulate (Sub-Guide)
Atrichum†	Dicranum†	Tortella†
Aulacomnium†
Group A12 – Leaves involute (Sub-Guide)
Aloina	Indusiella	Ptychomitrium†
Astomum	Plaubella	Weissia
Hyophila	Polytrichum†
Group A13 – Leaves all costa (Sub-Guide)
Leucobryum	Octoblepharum
Group A14 – Leaves with a broad, single costa (Sub-Guide)
Amblyodon	Campylopus	Leptobryum
Brothera	Dicranella†	Meesia†
Campylopodiella	Dicranodontium	Paraleucobryum
*Reminder* - The costa in Groups A15 through A19 is long and single.
Group A15 – Leaves with expanded, sheathing bases (Sub-Guide)
Bartramia†	Oligotrichum†	Rhexophyllum
Bartramiopsis	Oncophorus†	Symblepharis
Dicranella†	Pogonatum	Timmia
Ditrichum†	Polytrichastrum	Trematodon
Indusiella	Polytrichum	Trichodon
Lyellia	Pseudoditrichum
Group A16 – Leaves with long decurrencies (Sub-Guide)
Bryum†	Mnium	Pohlia†
Leucolepis	Paludella	Triquetrella
Meesia†	Plagiomnium
Group A17 – Leaves with a defined group of hyaline cells (Sub-Guide)
Bryoerythrophyllum	Eucladium	Ptychomitrium†
Bryum†	Hedwigia	Rhabdoweisia
Calymperes	Luisierella	Syrrhopodon
Desmatodon†	Plagiobryum†	Tortella
Didymodon†	Pleurochaete	Tortula†
Encalypta†	Pottia†	Trichostomum
Group A18 – Leaves with a distinct border (Sub-Guide)
Atrichum	Entosthodon†	Psilopilum
Bartramiopsis	Epipterygium	Rhizomnium
Brachymenium†	Leptodontium†	Rhodobryum
Bryum†	Leucolepis	Roellia
Buxbaumia	Mnium†	Scouleria
Calymperes†	Oedipodium	Splachnobryum
Cinclidium	Plagiomnium	Syrrhopodon†
Crumia	Pseudobryum	Tortula†
Cyrtomnium	Pseudocrossidium†	Trachycystis
Desmatodon†
Group A19 – Leaves with distinct alar cells (Sub-Guide)
Arctoa	Dicranodontium	Grimmia†
Blindia	Dicranoweisia†	Kiaeria
Campylopus	Dicranum	Paraleucobryum
Group A20 – Leaves with costa extremely reduced to lacking (Sub-Guide)
Andreaea†	Micromitrium	Tetrodontium†
Ephemerum†	Schistostega	Venturiella
Erpodium	Sphagnum

Reminder - Definitions for cell length to breadth ratios are found in the Introduction, the Overview and at the end of this section.
Group A21 – Cells long (>5:1) and smooth (Sub-Guide)
Orthodontium†	Pohlia†
Group A22 – Cells intermediate (2-5:1) and distinctly papillose (Sub-Guide)
Bartramia†	Gymnostomiella	Philonotis†
Group A23 – Cells intermediate and distinctly prorulose (Sub-Guide)
Bartramia†	Bruchia†	Ephemerum†
Bartramidula	Conostomum	Philonotis†
Group A24 – Cells intermediate and smooth (or indistinctly ornamented^#) (Sub-Guide)
Bruchia†	Ditrichum	Pohlia†
Bryobrittonia	Entosthodon	Seligeria
Bryum	Funaria	Splachnobryum
Catoscopium	Mielichhoferia	Tayloria
Dicranella	Orthodontium†	Tetrodontium
Discelium	Physcomitrium
^# Note - cells bulging, mammillose (both bulging & papillose) or indistinctly papillose, i.e., low papillae.
Group A25 – Cells short (<2:1) and distinctly papillose (Sub-Guide)
Amphidium	Didymodon†	Orthotrichum†
Andreaea†	Encalypta	Pseudocrossidium
Anoectangium	Gymnostomum	Rhexophyllum
Aulacomnium†	Gyroweisia†	Timmia†
Barbula†	Hymenostylium	Tuerckheimia
Cynodontium†	Leptodontium	Ulota†
Desmatodon†	Molendoa	Zygodon
Dichodontium
Group A26 – Cells short and smooth (or indistinctly ornamented^#) (Sub-Guide)
Andreaea†	Gyroweisia†	Rhacithecium
Andreaeobryum	Hyophila	Schistidium
Barbula†	Meesia	Scopelophila
Campylostelium	Oncophorus	Scouleria
Ceratodon	Oreas	Seligeria†
Crumia	Orthotrichum†	Stegonia
Cynodontium†	Plagiopus	Tetraphis
Desmatodon†	Plaubella	Timmia†
Didymodon†	Pottia†	Timmiella
Diphyscium	Ptychomitrium	Tortula†
Globulinella	Pyrrhobryum	Ulota†
Grimmia	Rhabdoweisia
^# Note - cells bulging, mammillose (both bulging and papillose) or indistinctly papillose, i.e., low papillae. Bulging examples: Diphyscium, Hyophila, Neohyophila, Ptychomitrium, Timmia & Timmiella Cuticular ridge examples: Amphidium, Grimmia & Plagiopus

Cells = medial, laminal cells; cells ~2/3 of the way from insertion to apex, midway between the costa and the margin. Cell length to breadth ratio: Long cells: >5:1; commonly termed linear. Intermediate cells: 2-5:1; commonly termed elongated, rectangular, hexagonal, or rhomboidal. Short cells: <2:1; commonly termed isodiametric, quadrate, rounded-quadrate, or sub-quadrate.


Home	Overview	Abbreviated Overview	Concordance	Geographical Abbreviations

Skeleton to Rarely Branched (mostly acrocarpous) Mosses

Group A1 – Shoots flattened or angular, i.e., not round (Sub-Guide)

Group A2 – Shoots julaceous both wet and dry (Sub-Guide)

Group A3 – Stems densely tomentose (Sub-Guide)

Group A4 – Stems red (Sub-Guide)

Group A5 – Leaves squarrose-recurved (Sub-Guide)

Group A6 – Leaves falcate-secund (Sub-Guide)

Group A7 – Leaves subulate / setaceous (Sub-Guide)

Group A8 – Leaves dimorphic (Sub-Guide)

Group A9 – Leaves with hair-points or awns (Sub-Guide)

Group A10 – Leaves with lamellae, ridges, or filaments (Sub-Guide)

Group A11 – Leaves undulate (Sub-Guide)

Group A12 – Leaves involute (Sub-Guide)

Group A13 – Leaves all costa (Sub-Guide)

Group A14 – Leaves with a broad, single costa (Sub-Guide)

Group A15 – Leaves with expanded, sheathing bases (Sub-Guide)

Group A16 – Leaves with long decurrencies (Sub-Guide)

Group A17 – Leaves with a defined group of hyaline cells (Sub-Guide)

Group A18 – Leaves with a distinct border (Sub-Guide)

Group A19 – Leaves with distinct alar cells (Sub-Guide)

Group A20 – Leaves with costa extremely reduced to lacking (Sub-Guide)

Group A21 – Cells long (>5:1) and smooth (Sub-Guide)

Group A22 – Cells intermediate (2-5:1) and distinctly papillose (Sub-Guide)

Group A23 – Cells intermediate and distinctly prorulose (Sub-Guide)

Group A24 – Cells intermediate and smooth (or indistinctly ornamented#) (Sub-Guide)

Group A25 – Cells short (<2:1) and distinctly papillose (Sub-Guide)

Group A26 – Cells short and smooth (or indistinctly ornamented#) (Sub-Guide)

Group A24 – Cells intermediate and smooth (or indistinctly ornamented^#) (Sub-Guide)

Group A26 – Cells short and smooth (or indistinctly ornamented^#) (Sub-Guide)