Weissia recurvirostris

Maier, Eva & Price, Michelle J., 2014, Georg Bojung “ Scato ” Lantzius-Beninga and his contributions on the anatomy of moss capsules: a transliteration from the original German texts, Boissiera 67, pp. 1-79 : 33

Weissia recurvirostris

( Anacalypta rubella Hübner ).

With Weissia , I begin a sequence of mosses which are very similar relative to the structure of their capsules, but essentially with respect to the development of the peristome

Whilst the lower and the median part of a capsule of nearly all mosses has the same construction as seen in Phascum , Gymnostomum and so on, in the upper part appears a layer of sixteen or thirty-two cells approximately at the same place as the annulus, at a distance of two, three, four or more widths of cells from the membrane. These relatively big cells are the base of the formation of the peristome. The cells are also remarkable for the more or less cordlike thickenings of their membranes which, after the deterioration of the capsule, remain as cilia and teeth at the orifice. In Anacalypta rubella these cells have strong thickenings on the walls pointing towards the centre of the capsule. I name these cells peristome cells, the thickenings of which form a cord in the central and the upper part of the peristome (Tab. LVII. Fig. 6 . pp). In the development of the cord the membranes of the nearby cells participate, Fig. 6 . tt, the thickened cords of the higher and lower cells together form a column. See the figures of the longitudinal section of the upper part of the capsule, Tab. LVII. Fig. 7. pp.

The layer of the peristome cells pp is immediately above the air hole placed between the outer capsule membrane and the spore sac, Fig. 7. v, and is connected on both sides by a relatively dense, strong tissue, the cells of which are rather small and the membranes thickened.

[original page 571]

When at the time of the complete formation of the spores, or the so-called maturation of the capsule, the operculum detaches by the partial deterioration of the cell tissue, then only the thickened cords of the peristome cells remain (the un-thickened parts of the membrane deteriorate and disappear also) as free columns at the base of the layer, with the spore sac and the tissue of the outer capsule wall. The columns representing the peristome teeth are, following the number of cells participating in their development, and seen in the transverse section, composed of two, three or more parts (here of three each) (Tab. LVII. Fig. 6 . pp), leading to the opinion that they were composed of several cell layers. The visible traits are the separating lines of the contributing cells. The construction of the capsule and especially the peristome of Weissia controversa and fugax do not differ essentially from Anacalypta rubella .

Figures

Fig. 6. Part of a transverse section of a similar capsule; here the reason for the pleats of the inner peristome is visible (between pp. and tt.). Meaning of the letters and magnification as above.