Meteoriaceae

Zelometeorium Manuel

Kingdom: Plantae Rank: Genus Parent: Meteoriaceae Status: Valid

Morphological Description

Diagnosis: Plants medium-sized, in green to golden, pendent masses. Stems pendent to creeping, irregularly to pinnately branched, flagellate branches sometimes present. Stem and branch leaves differentiated, the stem leaves ± auriculate and strongly clasping the stem, longer and more slenderly acuminate, the branch leaves spreading to squarrose-recurved from a somewhat clasping base, lanceolate-ovate to suborbicular, apiculate to piliferous; margins subentire to sharply serrulate, plane throughout or revolute below; costa single, slender, ending near or somewhat above midleaf; cells long-hexagonal to linear-flexuose, smooth, sometimes ± porose; alar cells somewhat to well differentiated, subquadrate to short-rectangular. Setae relatively short, reddish; capsules short-exerted, erect, long-cylindric; annulus differentiated; operculum conic-rostrate; peristome pale, papillose on the front surface. Calyptra mitrate, lobed at base, erect-pilose, roughened above. Spores spherical, smooth or roughened.