Tropical bryophyte resources

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Introduction

During the 1990’s and 2000’s, a number of BBS members interested in tropical bryophytes formed a sub-group called the Tropical Bryology Group (TBG). The group organised surveys and research in the African tropics and published several papers and checklists of bryophytes found. Martin Wigginton continued work on his Checklist of sub-Saharan liverworts and hornworts until 2018, not long before he died. A full list of TBG formal publications is available on the Tropical Bryology Group project page but some useful resources and unpublished works are provided here.

Note that the identification resources have not been updated since at least 2010, so please treat with caution.

Checklists

O’Shea, B.J. 2006. Checklist of the mosses of sub-Saharan Africa (version 5, 12/06). Tropical Bryology Research Reports, 6: 1–252.
Download the checklist of sub-Saharan mosses
Wigginton, M.J. 2018. Checklist and distribution of the liverworts and hornworts of sub-Saharan Africa, including the East African Islands. Edition 4, 25th June 2018

This checklist was published on the Tropical Bryology Group website in 2018.

Download the checklist of sub-Saharan liverworts

Identification resources

General identification

Various authors, unpublished. Guide to Bryophytes of sub-Saharan Africa

The Guide to Bryophytes of sub-Saharan Africa (GBA) was planned as a book, to produce an African version of the Guide to Bryophytes of Tropical America (Gradstein, Churchill, Allen, 2002), which describes all the families and genera of the bryophytes known in the area. The project came to a halt when the Tropical Bryology Group became less active in the late 2000’s, but the pages have been combined into a single PDF and made available here for the first time. It is hoped they may be useful.

Download the guide

Keys to Acrocarps

De Sloover, J.L. 1975. A Key to the Tropical African species of Breutelia.

Extracted from De Sloover, J.L. 1975. Bull. Jard. Bot. Nat. Belg. 45:237-271. Translated by C.R. Stevenson.

Download the Breutelia key
Frahm, J-P. 1996. A Key to the Tropical African species of Campylopus, with a generic key for Dicranaceae: Camylopodioideaceae.

Extracted from: Frahm, J-P., O’Shea, B.J. 1996. Journal of Bryology 19: 119-134.

Download the Campylopus key
De Sloover, J.L. 1987. A Key to the Tropical African species of Leptodontium.

Extracted from De Sloover, J.L. 1987. Bull. Jard. Bot. Nat. Belg. 57:425-451, translated by C.R. Stevenson.

Download the Leptodontium key
Onraedt, M. 1976. A Key to the African genera of Leucobryaceae.

Extracted from: Onraedt, M. 1976. Bryophytes des iles mascareno-malgaches et Seychelles I et II Bull. Jard. Bot. Nat. Belg. 46:351-378, translated by C.R. Stevenson.

Download the Leucobryaceae key
Onraedt, M. 1976. A Key to the African species of Leucophanes.

Extracted from: Onraedt, M. 1976. Bryophytes des iles mascareno-malgaches et Seychelles I et II Bull. Jard. Bot. Nat. Belg. 46:351-378, translated by C.R. Stevenson.

Since this key was written, a revision of the Leucophanes of the world has been produced: Salazar Allen, Noris. 1993. A revision of the pantropical moss genus Leucophanes Brid. Bryophytorum Bibliotheca 46:1-139. Two of Onraedt’s species are now regarded as synonyms (see key). This revision also contains records for the East African islands for three other species: L. glaucum, L. molleri and L. octoblepharoides. There is also a west African species, L. unguiculatum. It is suggested that Noris Salazar’s key be used if there is any doubt about a specimen’s identification.

Download the Leucophanes key
Stevenson CR. A Key to most of the African species of Racomitrium.

Translated/Compiled by C.R. Stevenson from the following:

De Sloover, J.L. 1977. Note de bryologie africaine IX Andreaea, Racomitrium, Gymnostomiella, Thuidium. Bull. Jard. Bot. Nat. Belg. 47: 155-181

Magill, R.E. 1981. Flora of Southern Africa. Bryophyta. Fasc.1 Sphagnaceae – Grimmiaceae. Pretoria.

O’Shea, B. 1995. Checklist of the mosses of sub-Saharan Africa. Tropical Bryology 10: 91-198

Download the Racomitrium key

Key to Pleurocarps

Petit, E. 1978. Keys for the determination of families of pleurocarpous mosses from Africa.

Extracted from: Petit, E. 1978. Cléfs pour la determination des familles et des genres des mousses pleurocarpes (Musci) d’AfriqueBull. Jard. Bot. Nat. Belg. 48: 135-181, translated by M.J. Wigginton and C.R. Stevenson.

Download the pleurocarp key

Keys to Liverworts

Vanden Berghen, C. 1984. A Key to the African species of the genus Caudalejeunea

Extracted from: Vanden Berghen, C. 1984. Le genre Caudalejeunea (Steph.) Schiffn. (Lejeuneaceae, Hepaticae) en Afrique Cryptogamie, Bryol. Lichenol. 5 (1-2):99-109, translated by C.R. Stevenson.

Download the Caudalejeunea key
Vanden Berghen, C. 1976. A Key to the African species of the genus Frullania.

Extracted from: Vanden Berghen, C. 1976. Frullaniaceae (Hepaticae) Africanae Bull. Jard. Bot. Nat. Belg. 46:1-220, translated by M.J. Wigginton and C.R. Stevenson.

Download the Frullania key
Vána, J. 1974, 1975. A Key to the Tropical African species of Jungermannia.

Translated and updated from Vána (1974, 1975) by Eva Leck and Nick Hodgetts.

References:

Vána, J. 1974. Studien über die Jungermannioideae (Hepaticae) 5. Jungermannia subg. Plectocolea und subg. Solenostoma: Afrikanische Arten. Folia Geobot. Phytotax. 9: 277-312.

Vána, J. 1975. Studien über die Jungermannioideae (Hepaticae) 9. Jungermannia subg. Plectocolea und subg. Solenostoma in Hawaii; Ergänzungen und Synopsis der Gattung Jungermannia. Folia Geobot. Phytotax. 10: 357-382. [Includes description of the African species J. pocsii.]

Download the Jungermannia key
Tropical Bryology

The Tropical Bryology journal was published from 1989 to 2006. The contents are available to read and download from the Goethe Universitat digital library.

Browse and download articles
Bryophytes of Bolivia

This web site is devoted to the diversity and distribution of Bolivian bryophytes.

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Andean Bryophytes

Links and text related to the rich bryophyte diversity of the Andean region.

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Plants and lichens of Saba

Includes a searchable database of bryophytes collected for the Plants and Lichens of Saba project.

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Lejeunea

M. Elena Reiner-Drehwald’s data resource on Lejeunea, including keys and photos, principally from the Neotropics.

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Moss Flora of Thailand

Annotated checklist and atlas

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