The Sematophyllaceae is a largely tropical family of mosses of which
Tasmania has 3 genera and around 7 species.
Members of the Sematophyllaceae tend to form small dense patches on
wood or rock substrates. They mostly have prostrate stems which are pinnately branched. The leaves have a very conspicuous alar region.
The anatomy of the capsule wall and the morphology of the alar
cells are useful diagnostic characters.
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