Plants minute to small, bulbiform, solitary, light green. Stems simple, to 1 mm high; in section round, small central strand present. Leaves obovate-acuminate, concave, erect-spreading wet, little altered dry; leaves larger above, lower leaves obovate-apiculate, to 1.5 mm long, upper leaves oblong-obovate, acuminate, 1.5-3.0 mm long; margins plane, entire below, crenulate to bluntly serrate above; costa ending below apex in lower leaves and subpercurrent to short-excurrent in upper leaves; upper laminal cells rhomboidal to oblong-rhomboidal, thin-walled; upper marginal cells narrower, long-rectangular, but not forming distinct border; basal cells lax, rectangular. Autoicous. Perichaetia terminal, perichaetial leaves large, conspicuous, strongly concave, completely enclosing sporophyte. Seta short, erect, 0.7-1.0 mm long, yellowish. Capsule cleistocarpous, broadly pyriform, pendent because of cygneous neck, 1.0-1.3 mm long, yellowish-brown; exothecial cells quadrate to rectangular or occasionally rhomboidal, thin-walled; stomata present on neck, phaneropore. Calyptra small, narrowly campanulate, 0.6 mm long, smooth. Spores subreniform, 25--35 µm, yellowish, irregularly papillose.

Habitat. Terricolous on soil in small open areas in shrublands. Only known from one locality in the north western Cape region, in an area with high rainfall at elevations of ca. 800 m.

Discussion. The family placement is uncertain. A monotypic genera, which is very distinct in the bulbiferous habit and the completely enclosed, pendent, cleistocarpous capsules. The genus appears distinct from other genera of the Funariaceae.

Literature. Fife, A.J. & Magill, R.E. 1982. Cygnicollum immersum, a new genus and species of Funariaceae from the Cape of Good Hope. Bryologist 85: 99-103 [description, illustration]. Magill, R.E. 1987. - see general ref. [description, illustration].

Plants small to medium sized, gregarious or forming loose tufts, green to yellowish-green or brown. Stems erect, to 1.5 cm tall, simple or with a few branches, dark red, radiculose; in cross-section hyalodermis present, outer cortical layer of 1-2 rows of smaller, incrassate cells, inner cortical cells thin-walled, central strand well developed; rhizoids appearing smooth. Leaves contorted when dry, patent to widespreading when wet; larger above and comose distally, often leafless below, loosely erect, oblong- to obovate-lanceolate, to 4 mm long, to 1.5 mm wide, concave, apex short acuminate to acute; margins plane or rather broadly incurved, entire to bluntly or strongly serrulate distally; costa ending below apex to percurrent, occasionally excurrent; median laminal cells large, rectangular to short or long oblong-hexagonal, lax, smooth; basal cells oblong-rectangular; marginal cells generally narrower, forming a somewhat distinct border. Autoicous. Perigonia on lateral branches or not, leaves smaller. Perichaetia terminal. Seta single, elongate, 5-55 mm long, yellow or golden-yellow, smooth, slender and wiry, usually hygroscopic. Capsule exserted, inclined to subpendent, strongly curved-asymmetric or rarely suberect, dark red or reddish-brown, 1.5-3.5 mm long, urn pyriform, strongly asymmetric, widest at mouth, deeply striate, mouth oblique, neck rather long, ± flattened; exothecial cells oblong-rectangular, thick-walled; stomata in neck region, superficial; annulus revoluble. Operculum low convex or conic. Peristome double, exostome teeth broadly lanceolate, slightly curved and joined at tip by a central disk, oblique or vertically striate-papillose below, distally papillose, strongly appendiculate and trabeculate on back; endostome hyaline, lightly papillose, basal membrane high, segments narrowly lanceolate, keeled. Calyptra rostrate-cucullate, inflated at base, smooth. Spores spherical, smooth or variously ornamented.

Habitat. On soil, on rocks and cliffs covered with thin soil, frequent in disturbed or open sites, including those recently burnt; in subtemperate areas in lowland and premontane zone, in tropical areas restricted to montane and subalpine altitudes, from near sea level to 4000 m.

Discussion. The genus is characterised by a long, slender, often hygroscopic seta, often a striate, subpendent to inclined, asymmetric capsule, often oblique mouth, double peristome with a well developed or slightly rudimentary endostome, and rostrate-cucullate, inflated calyptra. Funaria hygrometrica Hedw., the commonest species in the area, is present in the region in two varieties, which are separated by several authors at species level: var. hygrometrica and var. calvescens (Schwägr.) Mont. (= F. calvescens Schwägr.) The two taxa can be separated by the following sporophytic characters: var. calvescens - capsules suberect to inclined, nearly straight or only slightly curved, neck often flattened (compressed), setae straight and erect, not or very little arcuate and var. hygrometrica - capsules horizontal to pendent, clearly curved, neck not flattened, setae slender, often strongly curved-flexuose.

Literature. Magill, R.E. 1987. - see general refs. [description, illustration (Southern Africa species only)].

Plants small, scattered or gregarious, dark green. Stems short, simple, 1-2 mm high; in section round, weak central strand present. Leaves crowded and larger above, infolded and appressed when dry, erect-spreading when wet, broadly elliptical to obovate or subspathulate, 1.5-2.5 mm long, lower leaves smaller than upper ones; margins plane, entire; apex apiculate to cuspidate; costa short-excurrent; upper laminal cells hexagonal to rhomboidal, thin-walled; marginal cells smaller and longer; basal cells quadrate to rectangular. Paroicous. Perichaetia terminal, perichaetial leaves slightly larger. Seta short, 0.5-2.0 mm long. Capsule emergent to exserted, erect, stegocarpic, gymnostomous, globose to somewhat pyriform with broad mouth, 1 mm long, neck weakly developed, irregularly sulcate when dry, reddish below; exothecial cells quadrate to rectangular, thin-walled, with 5-6 rows of transversely rectangular cells just below mouth; stomata present at base of urn, phaneropore. Peristome absent. Operculum plano-convex, 0.7-0.8 mm in diameter, apiculate. Calyptra mitrate, vesiculose-campanulate, rostrate, 1.5 mm long, 8-plicate. Spores ovoid, large (50--75 µm), golden-brown, minutely verrucate.

Habitat. Terricolous on open soil in dry rocky regions, forming large patches after periods of rain; from sea level to 1800 m.

Discussion. The genus is recognised in the field by large-mouthed capsules, large, 8-sided, plicate calyptra and spreading, dark green, cuspidate leaves. Fife (1985) reduced the African taxa G. africanum (Müll.Hal.) Broth. to a subspecies of the Australian G. acuminatum Hook. & Wilson, but this is not always accepted. The genus is easy to overlook and is probably undercollected in the area.

Literature. Fife, A.L. 1985. - see family ref. Magill, R.E. 1987. - see general refs. [description, illustration] Potier de la Varde, R. 1946. Bryophyta nova. Revue Bryologique et Lichénologique 15: 141-146.

Plants minute, bright green to green, gregarious or scattered, protonema persistent, ephemeral. Stems erect, 1.5-2.5 mm high, radiculose below, rhizoids smooth, central strand present. Leaves around ten per stem, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, acuminate-aristate, 0.3-0.5 x 1.5-2 mm, smaller in the lower part, larger and more clustered in the upper part, irregularly shrunken when dry, erect to erect-spreading when wet; perichaetial leaves forming terminal rosette, linear-lanceolate, the apex tapering into a long, capillary point; costa ending below the base of the acumen in vegetative leaves and reaching up to the slender acumen in perichaetial leaves; margin plane, bluntly serrate to serrulate towards apex, lower margins entire; cells laxly oblong-hexagonal to rectangular, 20-40 x 100-140 µm, thin-walled, narrower towards margin and larger and more elongated near base. Autoicous. Seta pale-brown, 0.7-2 mm, very slender and flexuose, arcuate. Capsule exserted, hemispheric, lacking a neck, operculate, gymnostomous, horizontal to pendent by the curvature of the seta, 0.5-0.8 mm in diameter, wide-mouthed, light brown in color; exothecial cells delicate, quadrate to rounded-hexagonal, thin-walled, 40-75 x 47-62 µm, oblate in 2-5 rows near mouth; stomata present near base; annulus and peristome lacking. Operculum plane. Calyptra very small, covering only the uppermost portion of the capsules, short-rostrate, cucullate, not inflated, lacking a rostrum, slightly split into two lobes at base. Spores reddish-brown, ellipsoidal to spherical, 27-42 µm, densely papillose-spinose.

Habitat. On wet mud soil and on silt on banks of waters (rivers, creeks, ditches, ponds etc.), often associated with Riccia species; 300-320 m.

Discussion. Loiseaubryum is the most phenetically distinctive genus in the Funariaceae. Probably undercollected because of its small size and short life cycle.

Literature. Bizot, M. 1976. Enumeratio muscorum novarum, II. Revue Bryologique et Lichénologique 42: 843-855 [description (in French), illustration]. Ochyra, R. 1983. The rediscovery of Loiseaubryum ephemeroides Bizot (Musci: Funariaceae) in Nigeria. Acta Botanica Hungarica 29: 173-179 [description, illustration].

Plants small, gregarious, green. Stems erect, unbranched, 1.0-2.0 mm; central strand small. Leaves crowded above, spreading wet, weakly contorted dry; spathulate-acuminate, 4-5 mm long; margins plane, entire below, strongly serrulate to bluntly serrate above base; costa ending just below apex to subpercurrent; laminal cells lax, rectangular below to oblong-rhomboidal above, smooth. Autoicous. Perichaetia terminal, leaves larger. Seta 0.5-0.8 mm long, yellowish. Capsule exposed, subsessile, erect, cleistocarpic, globose to elliptical, 1.0-1.2 mm long, smooth, with very short, obtuse tip, reddish yellow; exothecial cells angular, subquadrate to hexagonal; stomata at base of urn, phaneropore. Operculum not differentiated. Calyptra large, swollen, completely enclosing capsule, smooth, mitrate-rostrate, 1.3 mm long. Spores rounded, weakly papillose, 30 µm.

Habitat. Terricolous. In Natal and Transkei it was found at the edge of coastal forests. The Tanzanian plants were growing in a montane forest at elevations of 1800-2050 m.

Discussion. A monotypic genus, the only species restricted to Africa. The lax, spathulate-acuminate leaves with dentate margins are good features in sterile condition. Fertile material is easily recognised by the short seta, exposed, globose to elliptical, cleistocarpous capsules and large calyptra. Dry specimens are easily overlooked.

Literature. Magill, R.E. 1987. - see general refs. [description, illustration].

Plants mostly small, solitary or forming loose tufts, light green to yellowish-green. Stems erect, to ca. 10 mm, with a few branches, radiculose below; in cross-section outer 1-2 rows of cells slightly differentiated, somewhat smaller, firm-walled, inner cells large, thin-walled, central strand mostly weak. Leaves progressively larger distally, often crispate when dry, erect-spreading to spreading when wet, oblong to obovate-oblong, mostly 1-4.5 mm long, acuminate to acute or acute-rounded; margins plane or erect below, entire to more commonly serrate, limbate or elimbate; costa rather strong, ending well below apex to percurrent or short excurrent; laminal cells large, smooth, mostly thin-walled, median cells rectangular to oblong-hexagonal; basal cells more elongate, lax; margins
sometimes differentiated by narrower cells. Autoicous. Perichaetia terminal, leaves similar to stem leaves but often larger. Seta very short to elongate, to 10 mm long, smooth. Capsule immersed to long-exserted, erect, symmetrical, urn cupulate, mostly 1-2 mm long (including neck), often flared at mouth when dry, neck usually distinct, short; stomata in neck region, superficial; exothecial cells isodiametric; annulus persistent or not. Operculum apiculate or shortly to moderately rostrate. Peristome absent. Calyptra mitrate, inflated or not below, long beaked above, base irregularly lobed, smooth and naked. Spores spherical to subreniform, coarsely papillose or spiculose.

Habitat. On exposed soil, often associated with wet sites, e.g., along streams or rivers, by lakes, in swamps, on alluvial mud and river banks; from near sea level to ca. 2500 m.

Discussion. The genus is characterised by an elongate, erect, cupulate capsule, often flared at the mouth when deoperculate, mitrate calyptra and the absence of a peristome. The African species can be separated into two subgenera. The members of these two subgenera are habitually very different. The species of subgenus Cryptopyxis (Müll.Hal.) Broth. are characterised by immersed capsules, which in dry conditions are cyathiform with little or no neck; the exothecial cells are thin-walled and delicate in the lower portions and not markedly thickened in corners. The species of subgenus Physcomitrium have exserted, hemispheric or pyriform capsules with a distinct neck, the exothecial cells are firm-walled throughout and have thickened corners.

Literature. Magill, R.E. 1987. - see general refs. [description, illustration (Southern Africa taxa)].