Plants of the Gila Wilderness
Presented in Association with the
Western New Mexico University Department
of Natural Sciences
Fissidentaceae
The Fissidentaceae consist of one genus worldwide, Fissidens , of which there are hundreds of species worldwide. There are only a few Fissidens species in New Mexico. All Fissidens have distichous (two-ranked, leaves in one plane on either side of the stem) leaves that have a Pita pocket-like structure on one side of the leaf. There is another lamina that attaches to the costa and then up to one leaf margin on just one side of each leaf. This gives Fissidens species a rather characteristic appearance.
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