Questions of procedure in moss cytotaxonomy: new data for some British species

Abstract

Cytological data for Gymnostomum aeruginosum (n = 13), Discelium nudum (n = 13) and Plagiomnium ellipticum (n = 6) supplement earlier records from Britain and elsewhere but those for Physcomitrium sphaericum (n = 26) are the first for the species. Chromosome counts continue to have a role to play in bryophyte cytotaxonomy as a means of identifying probable erroneous reports. It is considered, however, that karyotype definition in terms of Giemsa C-banding and cytogenetic studies related to chromosome behaviour have greater taxonomic potential.