In the Footsteps of Lantzius-Beninga: Investigating the Peristome Characters of Mosses

Abstract

Abstract Lantzius-Beninga (1815–1871), influenced by the earlier work of Hedwig (1730– 1799), investigated the capsules of mosses, and more specifically characteristics of the peristome. He was the first to show that longitudinal sections of the capsule and peristome teeth at the capsule mouth provided characters useful to distinguish species. Limpricht (1888–1903) integrated the findings of Lantzius-Beninga into his species descriptions in Kryptogamen-Flora von Deutschland, Osterreich und der Schweiz. The ideas of Lantzius-Beninga were later taken up by S. Edwards; J. Shaw and H. Robinson; and J. Shaw, L. Anderson and B. Mishler for taxonomic research, although the technique of sectioning the capsule and peristome has not been widely adopted by bryologists. Drawings of longitudinal sections through peristome teeth of selected species of Grimmia are presented here to illustrate specific differences between them using the technique of Lantzius-Beninga. We show that it is possible to correlate some variable...