A morphometric study of Breutelia pendula and B. elongata (Bryophyta, Bartramiaceae).

A morphometric study of the mosses Breutelia pendula (Sm.) Mitt. and B. elongata (Hook.f. & Wilson) Mitt. was conducted in order to investigate the species delimitation between these two species, and to ascertain the status of B. elongata in Australia, in particular Victoria. As a result, B. elongata is no longer considered to occur in continental Australia. Useful characters to distinguish between the newly circumscribed species include the size of the marginal teeth, whether or not the alar cells are inflated, the leaf width and the set of the leaves. Bartramia crassa Hook.f. & Wilson, which was previously considered a synonym of B. elongata, is synonymised with B. pendula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]