Spirina, U.N. & M.S. Ignatov. Bilobed leaves in mosses? Structure
and adaptive significance of proximal branch leaves in Lembophyllaceae
Arctoa (2015) 24:
124-140
doi: 10.15298/arctoa.24.13
Branch primordia in the moss family Lembophyllaceae
demonstrate an outstanding polymorphism in proximal branch leaf arrangement
around young branches. The first and second branch merophytes
may not develop leaf lamina at all or form a deeply divided lamina or ‘compound
leaf’, where 2–3(–4) individual laminae are somewhat
distant one from another. Bilobed leaves occur in all
genera of the family, being more common in the genera Weymouthia
and Camptochaete. The lobate
structure allows proximal leaves to form a slot-like clasps,
likely having a protective significance. The early stages of branch development
are shown in a series of sections of Weymouthia
cochlearifolia.