Study on Groutiella Steere(Orthotrichaceae,Bryopsida)Ⅰ--Morphological Characters and Outline of Research

Groutiella,belonging to Orthotrichaceae,was established in 1950 by H.A.Crum.Only a few studies on this genus have been reported since then.Morphologically,it is very similar to Macromitrium and Ulota.The distribution of Groutiella is mainly in Central America and South America.In this paper,we introduce its main morphological characters and the history of research on Groutiella.Meanwhile,we also discuss the delimitation of the genus and the systematic relationships between Macromitrium,Ulota and Groutiella.In Groutiella,there are some confusions at the level of species,and they need to be further studied by checking type specimens.Finally,we consider that there is a strong necessity to have a revision on Groutiella.