Funaria


Funaria is a genus of approximately 210 species of moss. Funaria hygrometrica is the most common species. Funaria hygrometrica is called “cord moss” because of the twisted seta which is very hygroscopic and untwists when moist. The name is derived from the Latin word “funis”, meaning "a rope". In funaria root like structures called rhizoids are present.
Capsules are abundant with the moss surviving as spore when conditions are not suitable.
Moss plant Funaria grows in dense patches or cushions in moist shady and cool places on rocks, walls or crevices during the rainy seasons. It has a height of 3–5 cm, a radial symmetry with a differentiation of an axis or stem, leaves or phylloids are multicellular colorless branched rhizoids with oblique septa.
These are primitive multicellular, autotrophic, shade loving, amphibious plants. They reproduce by spore formation. They have no vascular system. Root like structures called rhizoids are present. They show alternation of generation i.e. the gametophytic stage alternates with the sporophytic stage.

External structure of gametophyte

Plant body is gametophytic and consists of two stages: juvenile and adult.
The juvenile stage is represented by "primary protonema".
The adult stage is represented by leafy gametophore which is differentiated into rhizoids, axis and leaves. Rhizoids arise from the base of the axis and they are slender, branched, obliquely septate and provides anchorage for the bryophyte. The axis is a stem-like structure arising from the rhizoid, long, slender, monopodially branched. The each branch is extra axilliary arising form the base of a leaf. The leaves are sessile, oblong-ovate with entire margin and pointed apex. Each leaf is transversed by a mid rib. Leaves are born spirally around the axis.

Morphology

The adult plant body is foliose gametophyte which is leafy and branched which is differentiated into axis, leaves, rhizoids.
Axis/Stem: Small, erect, upright, slender, monopodially branched
Leaves: Spirally arranged around the axis. Flat, green with a well-defined mid-rib. Lower leaves are smaller and scattered and upper leaves are large and crowded.
Rhizoids: Basal, branched, multicellular, obliquely septated mainly for absorption of minerals and anchorage to substratum.

T.S. of axis

Divided into 3 regions:
  • epidermis
  • cortex
  • inner conducting strands (made of long, narrow, slender, dead cells which is mainly used for mechanical support to the axis and for water conduction.

    T.S of leaf

The transverse section of the leaf shows a well-defined mid-rib with two lateral wings except in the mid-rib region. There are single-layered parenchymatous polygonal cells with prominent chloroplasts. The central part of the mid-rib has a narrow conducting strand of thick walled cells that helps in conduction.

Accepted species

  1. Funaria acicularis Müll. Hal.
  2. Funaria acidota Broth.
  3. Funaria acutifolia Broth.
  4. Funaria aequidens Lindb. ex Broth.
  5. Funaria altiseta Broth.
  6. Funaria altissima Dixon
  7. Funaria americana Lindb.
  8. Funaria ampliretis Broth.
  9. Funaria andicola Broth.
  10. Funaria anomala Jur.
  11. Funaria antarctica Broth.
  12. Funaria apiahyensis Broth.
  13. Funaria apiculatopilosa Cardot
  14. Funaria apophysata Broth.
  15. Funaria arctica Kindb.
  16. Funaria arenicola Loeske
  17. Funaria aristatula Müll. Hal.
  18. Funaria balansae Broth.
  19. Funaria beccarii Broth.
  20. Funaria bergiana Broth.
  21. Funaria berteroana Hampe ex Müll. Hal.
  22. Funaria beyrichii Hampe
  23. Funaria bogosica Müll. Hal.
  24. Funaria bonplandii Broth.
  25. Funaria borbonica Broth.
  26. Funaria borneensis Dixon
  27. Funaria brassii W. Schultze-Motel
  28. Funaria buseana Broth.
  29. Funaria calvescens Schwägr.
  30. Funaria cameruniae Dixon
  31. Funaria campylopodioides Broth.
  32. Funaria capillaris Warnst.
  33. Funaria capillipes Broth.
  34. Funaria cartilaginea Broth.
  35. Funaria chevalieri P. de la Varde
  36. Funaria chilensis Thér.
  37. Funaria chiloensis Broth.
  38. Funaria clavaeformis Broth.
  39. Funaria clavata Magill
  40. Funaria clavellata Broth.
  41. Funaria commixta Thér.
  42. Funaria commutata Lindb.
  43. Funaria contorta W. Schultze-Motel
  44. Funaria convexa Spruce
  45. Funaria costesii Thér.
  46. Funaria curvi-apiculata Broth.
  47. Funaria curvipes Broth.
  48. Funaria curviseta Milde
  49. Funaria decaryi Thér.
  50. Funaria delicatula Thér.
  51. Funaria deserticola Trab.
  52. Funaria discelioides Müll. Hal.
  53. Funaria diversinervis Broth.
  54. Funaria dozyana Broth.
  55. Funaria eberhardtii Broth.
  56. Funaria erectiuscula Mitt.
  57. Funaria euryloma Dixon
  58. Funaria eurystoma Broth.
  59. Funaria excurrentinervis Cardot & P. de la Varde
  60. Funaria faucium Broth.
  61. Funaria flava Broth.
  62. Funaria flavicans Michx.
  63. Funaria flexiseta Broth.
  64. Funaria fontana Broth.
  65. Funaria fontanesii Schwägr.
  66. Funaria fritzei Geh.
  67. Funaria fuscescens Mitt.
  68. Funaria glabripes Broth.
  69. Funaria gracilis Broth.
  70. Funaria grossidens Broth.
  71. Funaria hildebrandtii Broth.
  72. Funaria holstii Broth.
  73. Funaria hookeriana Thér.
  74. Funaria hosseusii E.B. Bartram
  75. Funaria husnotii Broth.
  76. Funaria hygrometrica Hedw.
  77. Funaria hygrometrica f. breviseta Cufod.
  78. Funaria hygrometrica var. calvescens Mont.
  79. Funaria hygrometrica x physcomitrium acuminatum L. Bauer & Broseg
  80. Funaria imerinensis Cardot
  81. Funaria incompleta Müll. Hal.
  82. Funaria incurvifolia Müll. Hal. ex E. Britton
  83. Funaria inflata Müll. Hal.
  84. Funaria integra Broth.
  85. Funaria jamesonii Taylor
  86. Funaria japonica Broth.
  87. Funaria javanica Broth.
  88. Funaria kilimandscharica Müll. Hal.
  89. Funaria koelzei E.B. Bartram
  90. Funaria krausei Geh. & Herzog
  91. Funaria laevis Mitt.
  92. Funaria laxissima Müll. Hal.
  93. Funaria leibergii Broth.
  94. Funaria lepervanchei Broth.
  95. Funaria lignicola Broth.
  96. Funaria limbata Broth.
  97. Funaria lindigii Broth.
  98. Funaria linearidens Müll. Hal.
  99. Funaria longicollis Dixon
  100. Funaria longiseta Broth.
  101. Funaria ludoviciae Broth. & Paris
  102. Funaria luteo-limbata Broth.
  103. Funaria lutescens Broth.
  104. Funaria macrocarpa R.H. Zander
  105. Funaria macrospora R.S. Williams
  106. Funaria maireana Copp.
  107. Funaria marginatula Cardot
  108. Funaria mathwesii Broth.
  109. Funaria mauritiana Broth.
  110. Funaria mayottensis Broth.
  111. Funaria meeseacea Müll. Hal.
  112. Funaria megalostoma Mitt.
  113. Funaria microcarpa Broth.
  114. Funaria micropyxis Broth.
  115. Funaria microstoma Bruch ex Schimp.
  116. Funaria minuticaulis Watts & Whitel.
  117. Funaria mittenii Broth.
  118. Funaria muhlenbergii Turner
  119. Funaria muhlenbergii var. alpina Castelli
  120. Funaria nilotica Broth.
  121. Funaria noumeana Broth.
  122. Funaria nubica Müll. Hal.
  123. Funaria obtusa Lindb.
  124. Funaria obtusa var. ahnfeltii Kindb.
  125. Funaria obtusa var. notarisii Pavletic
  126. Funaria obtusata Schimp.
  127. Funaria obtuso-apiculata Broth.
  128. Funaria oligophylla Broth.
  129. Funaria orizabensis Müll. Hal.
  130. Funaria orthocarpa Mitt.
  131. Funaria ouropratensis Thér.
  132. Funaria papillosa Wijk & Margad.
  133. Funaria paucifolia Broth.
  134. Funaria pellucida Broth.
  135. Funaria perlaxa Thér.
  136. Funaria perrottetii Broth.
  137. Funaria pilifera Broth.
  138. Funaria plagiothecia Broth.
  139. Funaria planifolia Broth.
  140. Funaria polaris Bryhn
  141. Funaria porteri Thér.
  142. Funaria producta Broth.
  143. Funaria puiggarii Broth.
  144. Funaria pulchella H. Philib.
  145. Funaria pulchra Dixon & P. de la Varde
  146. Funaria pulchricolor Müll. Hal.
  147. Funaria ramulosa Paris
  148. Funaria renauldii Cardot
  149. Funaria rhizomatica Broth.
  150. Funaria rhizophylla Sakurai
  151. Funaria rhomboidea J. Shaw
  152. Funaria riparia Lindb.
  153. Funaria robustior Broth.
  154. Funaria rottleri Broth.
  155. Funaria saharae Trab.
  156. Funaria sartorii Müll. Hal.
  157. Funaria schinzii Broth.
  158. Funaria schnyderi Müll. Hal.
  159. Funaria serrata Brid.
  160. Funaria serricola Broth.
  161. Funaria sickenbergeri Müll. Hal.
  162. Funaria sinuato-limbata Cardot & P. de la Varde
  163. Funaria sipascoyae Broth.
  164. Funaria sovatensis Schimp. ex Müll. Hal.
  165. Funaria spathulata Schimp. ex Müll. Hal.
  166. Funaria spathulifolia Broth.
  167. Funaria subcuspidata Broth.
  168. Funaria suberecta Mitt.
  169. Funaria subimmarginata Cardot & P. de la Varde
  170. Funaria subleptopoda Hampe
  171. Funaria submarginata Broth.
  172. Funaria subnuda Taylor
  173. Funaria subplanifolia Broth.
  174. Funaria subtilis Broth.
  175. Funaria subulata W. Schultze-Motel
  176. Funaria succuleata Broth. ex Magill
  177. Funaria tenella Müll. Hal.
  178. Funaria trumpffii Broth.
  179. Funaria uleana Broth.
  180. Funaria undulata Broth.
  181. Funaria urceolata Magill
  182. Funaria usambarica Broth.
  183. Funaria valdiviae Müll. Hal.
  184. Funaria varia Broth.
  185. Funaria verrucosa Broth.
  186. Funaria volkensii Broth.
  187. Funaria wallichii Broth.
  188. Funaria wichurae Broth.
  189. Funaria wijkii R.S. Chopra