Anatomy Studies of Five Species of Pottiaceae from Xinjiang

The stem and leaf anatomy of five species of Pottiaceae from Xinjiang were investigated by paraffin wax section and SEM.Results showed that the stem cell walls of Didymodon tectorus (C.MÜll.) Saito.were thickened;the leaf cell walls were sunken reticularly with strip,granular or scale appendages.The cell walls of stem epidermal layer and axis of Anoectangium thomsonii Mitt.were thick;wide warts on the leaf surface were rough and concentrated,and there were holes and scaly ornamentations on the warts.Stem endothelial cytoplasm of Syntrichia ruralis (Hedw.) Web.& Mohr.was thick;both adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces were densely covered with staghorn warts;stacked up ornamentation and mastoid processes were observed on the warts.Transverse section of the Tortula mucronifolia Schweagr.stem was oblong;leaf cell walls were thin without warts;adaxial leaf surfaces were rough, but abaxial leaf surfaces were smooth with short and sparse cuticle ornamentation.The stem epidermal cell walls of Tortella tortuosa (Hedw.) Limpr.were sunken strongly and the leaf surfaces were densely covered with rough warts with irregular scaly cuticle ornamentation.The stem and leaf micro-morphology of Pottiaceae can provide important classification characteristics to identify genera and species of this family.