Dicranoweisia Milde, Bryol. Siles. 48. 1869.
[From two generic names, Dicranum and Weissia, suggesting relationship with Dicranum and its fancied resemblance to Weissia]
W. B. Schofield
Plants densely tufted, light to dark green, dull. Stems 0.5--3 cm, erect, forked, with central strand with rhizoids confined to base of stems and firmly affixed to substratum. Leaves lanceolate, flexuose, crisped or curled when dry, 1--3.5 mm; costa single, subpercurrent, narrow; margins plane to incurved or recurved, 1- or 2-stratose; proximal cells elongate, 15--30 µm, smooth; alar cells with a few enlarged cells on margins, often colored or undifferentiated; distal cells subquadrate 7--10 µm wide, smooth or with longitudinal cuticular ridges. Specialized asexual reproduction sometimes present, multicellular, on abaxial surface, elliptic to short-linear, of 4--10 cells, 1-seriate or with occasional 2-seriate portions, smooth. Sexual condition autoicous; pergonial leaves abruptly narrowed to a long or short subula; perichaetial leaves variable, resembling vegetative leaves or broadly obtuse to acute or short-acuminate. Seta solitary, yellowish, 3--15 mm, smooth. Capsule light to dark brown when mature, elliptic to short-cylindric, 0.5--2 mm, smooth to longitudinally wrinkled when dry; annulus present, of 1--3 rows of cells, deciduous or lacking; operculum rostrate, beak straight or oblique; peristome single, 16 teeth inserted below darkened cells of mouth, teeth entire to divided at apices, red-brown with hyaline tips. Calyptra cucullate, smooth, covering 1\3--1\2 of capsule, entire at base. Spores spherical, 15--20 µm, weakly papillose.
Species ca. 20 (2 in the flora); epiphytic, epixylic, epilithic, or terrestrial; widespread throughout the world, North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Antarctica, Pacific Islands (Hawaii, New Zealand).
SELECTED REFERENCE
Flowers, S. 1956. Dicranoweisia crispula and D. cirrhata. Bryologist 59: 239--244.
