Weymouthia (plant)

Genus of mosses

Weymouthia

Weymouthia mollis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:  | Plantae
Division:  | Bryophyta
Class:  | Bryopsida
Subclass:  | Bryidae
Order:  | Hypnales
Family:  | Lembophyllaceae
Genus:  | Weymouthia
Broth. in H.G.A. Engler & K.A.E. Prantl, 1906[1]
Species

* W. mollis (Hedw., 1801) (Type) synonyms Isothecium molle, Leskea mollis, Meteorium molle, Neckera mollis, Pilotrichella mollis, P. weymouthii, Stereodon mollis
* W. cochlearifolia (Schwägr., 1816) synonyms W. billardierei, W. cochlearifolia var. billardierei, Coelidium cochlearifolium, Hypnum cochlearifolium, Isothecium cochlearifolium, Lembophyllum cochlearifolium, Neckera billardierei, Porotrichum cochlearifolium, Pilotrichella billardierei, Stereodon cochlearifolius

Weymouthia is a genus of two species belonging to the feather mosses. Weymouthia occurs in southern South America, New Zealand and south-eastern Australia and Lord Howe Island. It is characterised by (i) its monopodial, often hanging growth form; (ii) slight differences between stem and branch leaves; and (iii) the straight perichaetial leaves. In contrast to other genera in the Lembophyllaceae, secondary stems appear unable to arch back to the substrate and then root and form a new creeping stem.[1]

## Etymology

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Weymouthia was named in honour of William Anderson Weymouth (1842–1932), a prominent Tasmanian botanist.[1] The species epithet mollis meaning soft, flabby, weak or feeble in Latin, refers to the exclusively hanging branches in this species. The species epithet cochlearifolia refers to the spoon-shaped leaves that resemble those of scurvy-grass.

## Taxonomy

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Weymouthia has traditionally been assigned to the Meteoriaceae, mainly because of the hanging branches. Later the genus was included in the Lembophyllaceae,[1] but according to recent cladistic analyses based on DNA, this family is polyphyletic, and its revision is to be expected.[2]

## Key to the species

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1 | Leaves oblong, more than twice as long as wide; upper laminal cells not or shallowly pitted. → Weymouthia mollis

|

- | Leaves broadly ovate, less than twice as long as wide; upper laminal cells strongly pitted. → Weymouthia cochlearifolia[1]

## Links to photos

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* Weymouthia mollis
* Weymouthia cochlearifolia

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e Klazenga, N.; Milne, J. "Australian Mosses Online. 30. Lembophyllaceae: Weymouthia.(2012)" (PDF). Retrieved 2 December 2012.
2. ^ Merget, Benjamin; Wolf, Matthias (2010). "A molecular phylogeny of Hypnales (Bryophyta) inferred from ITS2 sequence-structure data". BMC Research Notes. 3: 320. doi:10.1186/1756-0500-3-320. PMC 2998521. PMID 21108782.

Taxon identifiers

Weymouthia|

* Wikidata: Q7990394
* Wikispecies: Weymouthia (Meteoriaceae)
* EoL: 88078
* GBIF: 2677754
* iNaturalist: 379391
* IRMNG: 1065733
* NCBI: 137193
* NZOR: 0ede0cb3-ac86-42fd-b72b-55e47863d3e1
* Open Tree of Life: 113731
* Tropicos: 35001359
* WFO: wfo-4000040658