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Issue: Vol. 736 No. 3: 31 Dec. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-12-31
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.736.3.1
Page range: 191-209
Abstract views: 67
PDF downloaded: 43

Studies on Schistidium (Grimmiaceae, Bryophyta) in Europe, with particular reference to the Alps: II. Description of two new species S. pratense and S. heribertii

Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Thormøhlensgate 55, N–5006 Bergen, Norway
Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany, Rosenstein 1, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany; University of Zurich, Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Zollikerstrasse 107, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland
National Biodiversity Collection of Recent and Fossil Organisms, W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Lubicz 46, 31–512 Kraków, Poland
National Biodiversity Collection of Recent and Fossil Organisms, W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Lubicz 46, 31–512 Kraków, Poland
calcicole calciphyte geographical distribution ITS mosses phylogeny saxicole taxonomy Bryophytes

Abstract

Schistidium pratense and S. heribertii, two distinctive and locally abundant components of the Alpine flora, are here formally described as new species from Europe. Although recognised for over two decades, their official taxonomic treatment has been long overdue. This paper provides an integrative account, combining morphological and molecular evidence, outlining their currently known distribution, and discussing their relationships to related species. Schistidium pratense is closely allied to S. dupretii in both molecular and morphological traits but differs in its larger overall size, including longer shoots and leaves, as well as in the absence of stomata. Schistidium heribertii resembles S. atrofuscum in its black coloration but is distinguished by its prominent leaf hairpoints and a pruinose appearance on the upper parts of the shoots. Molecular analyses place S. heribertii as the sister species to the clade comprising S. atrofuscum and S. helveticum. Both new species share similar ecological preferences, typically colonising calcareous substrates. Schistidium pratense is widespread and locally abundant in subalpine pastures, while S. heribertii has a more scattered distribution and predominantly inhabits warm sites across a broad elevational range in valleys with a continental climate. To date, S. heribertii is known only from the Alps, whereas S. pratense has also been recorded in Scandinavia, the Dinarides, the Apennines and the Black Forest in Germany.

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How to Cite

Blom, H.H., Kiebacher, T., Bednarek-Ochyra, H. & Ochyra, R. (2025) Studies on Schistidium (Grimmiaceae, Bryophyta) in Europe, with particular reference to the Alps: II. Description of two new species S. pratense and S. heribertii. Phytotaxa 736 (3): 191–209. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.736.3.1