| Summary: | The genus Hygrohypnum Lindb. (Musci) is monographed for the world for the first time. Thirty-nine species and a large number of subspecific taxa recognised at the inception of this study were investigated using traditional tools of herbarium taxonomy, extensive field work throughout North America and the experimental cultivation of ten North American species in a uniform environment. These studies show that Hygrohypnum is a Northern Hemisphere genus, in which the important taxonomic characters are: stem anatomy, shape of the leaf and its apex, leaf concavity, costa structure, alar cell differentiation, length of the marginal leaf cells, sexuality, structure of the perichaetial leaves and the annulus. Based on these characters the following 16 species are recognised: H. alpinum (Lindb.) Loesk., H. duriusculum (De Not.) nov. comb., H. smithii (Sw. in Lilj.) Broth., H. bestii (Ren. et Card.) Holz., H. cochlearifolium (Vent. in De Not.) Broth., H. norvegicum (Schimp.) Amann, H. molle (Hedw.) Loesk., H. styriacum (Limpr.) Broth., H. luridum (Hedw.) Jenn., H. alpestre (Hedw.) Loesk., H. polare (Lindb.) Loesk., H. ochraceum (Wils. ex Turn.) Loesk., H. eugyrium (Schmip.) Broth., H. subeugyrium (Ren. et Card.) Grout, H. montanum (Lindb.) Broth., and H. closteri (Aust.) Grout. Hygrohypnum alpinum and H. styriacum are new in Western North America and H. bestii, known previously as a Western North American endemic, is now shown to be on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and around the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The taxonomic treatment presents a generic description and keys to the species and provides each species with a description, a discussion of variability and taxonomic matters, illustrations and a distribution map. The status of each excluded taxon is discussed. The generic concept and the possible relationships among the recognised species are examined by comparing the author's opinion with information derived from an ordination and two cluster analyses. === Science, Faculty of === Botany, Department of === Graduate
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