Zelometeorium
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Authority
Sharp, Aaron J., et al. 1994. The Moss Flora of Mexico. Part Two: Orthotrichales to Polytrichales. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 69 (2)
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Family
Meteoriaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Plants of moderate size, with creeping stems and irregularly branched secondary stems, pendent in light-green or yellowish, shiny masses, occasionally blackish or brownish in older parts; branches short, unequal, wide-spreading; paraphylha and pseudoparaphyllia none. Leaves of secondary stems erect to squarrose from a clasping base, not phcate, broadly ovate, acute to obtuse or abruptly short- to long-acuminate; margins plane or sometimes recurved near the base, serrulate nearly all around; costa single, slender, ending beyond the leaf middle; upper cells smooth, thick-walled, linear, sometimes pitted, the basal cells generally pitted, laxer and oblong-rhomboidal, not or slightly differentiated at the basal angles. Branch leaves crowded, erect to squarrose-recurved from a somewhat clasping base, entire to slightly serrulate. Apparently dioicous. Perichaetial leaves loosely sheathing, ovate-lanceolate, long-acuminate. Setae generally longer than the capsule; capsules emergent, erect and symmetric, oblong-cylindric, smooth; annulus poorly differentiated; operculum erect, conic-rostrate; exostome teeth lanceolate, papillose; endostome consisting of slender papillose segments. Spores smooth or finely roughened. Calyptrae mitrate, hairy.
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Discussion
The genus consists of three species ofthe American tropics, one of them also occurring in Africa. Like Meteoridium, it is a segregate from a broadly conceived Meteoriopsis. The wide-spreading leaves somewhat clasping at base, with smooth cells and long costa, papillose peristome and hairy, mitrate calyptra justify segregation.
The treatment of this genus was, to an extent, adapted from Manuel (1977d).