THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE LEMBOPHYLLACEAE (MUSCI)

Abstract

  An analysis of the architecture of the Lembophyllaceae is presented and its value in the taxonomy of the family is assessed. The Lembophyllaceae produce a variety of growth forms, ranging from creeping mats to loose erect-ascendant wefts and pendant fronds. Characters of stem orientation, branching, rhizoid distribution, leaf orientation, size and shape, and the production of determinate or indeterminate growth are used to describe merophyte development. Variation in the pattern of merophyte development yields an architectural pattern common to taxa, and the genera differ from each other in their relative expression of this pattern. The same architecture is therefore seen to underlie the various growth forms exhibited.