Tetraphis pellucida

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 : 32

Tetraphis pellucida .

The capsule as such shows no special features, but very curious is the development of the peristome teeth.

In the part above the spore sac, below the membrane (Tab. LVII. Fig. 4 . and 5 . ee), nearly parallel to the longitudinal section, are two layers of relatively small, elongate, fairly thick- walled cells ( Fig. 4 and 5 . nn); within is a delicate tissue of large cells. At the moment of the complete maturity of the spores only the membrane detaches as the operculum (Tab. LVII. Fig. 5 . ee) and all the inner cell tissue divides into four equal parts, presenting the peristome teeth.

Already in the not yet deteriorated capsule the separating lines are indicated mostly by a strong development of inter-cellular substances between the cells (Tab. LVII. Fig. 4 . xc, yc, zc).

Figures

Fig. 4. Part of a transverse section of a completely grown capsule of Barbula reflexa. In the thickening cords of the membranes situated between pp. and tt., the peristome teeth, which are here relatively very strong, are visible the separating lines of the different thickened layers. Meaning of the letters as above, magnification approximately 500x.

Fig. 5. Part of a longitudinal section of a capsule of Hypnum sylvaticum. At the place where in the previous figures a strong thickening between the cell layers pp. and tt. is visible, is here a weak one, the inner peristome; on the other hand relatively very strong is the thickening of the membranes between pp. and rr., forming the outer peristome. Meaning of the letters as above, magnification 250x.