Number of species in the collection: 7.
Pictures of Polytrichopsida:
Characteristics of Polytrichopsida:
Polytrichopsida are a small class of mosses with a
worldwide distribution, which appear from the tropics to the poles, although
they are more abundant in cold regions.
They have the appearance of typical moss, but with more hardened tissues and
generally a larger size and bearing, with erect stems, never crawling. Their
sporangia have a membrane that almost completely covers the hole through which
the spores are liberated, in addition to 32-64 non-articulated teeth, formed by
complete vermiform cells instead of incomplete cell walls as in mosses of the
Bryopsida class. Within the Polytricopsida class there are some of the largest
mosses that exist, this is partly because they have structures that can conduct
water from the soil to the leaves, although these are inefficient.
Class: Polytrichopsida