PlantaeDB Logo
Login Sign-up

Genus Seligeria in Family Seligeriaceae

In botanical taxonomy, a genus (plural genera) is a rank used to group closely related species within a family. In the hierarchy, genus sits below family and above species.

Genera are defined by shared morphological, anatomical, and genetic characteristics (for example, features of flowers, fruits, seeds, or leaves) that indicate a close evolutionary relationship among the species they contain.

Each genus can include one or more species. Examples include Rosa (roses) and Solanum (nightshades, including tomato and eggplant).

Do you wish to read more about plant taxonomy? Click here!

Genus Description

Suggest a correction!

Seligeria Bruch & Schimp. is a small moss genus placed in the family Seligeriaceae, order Grimmiales, a placement supported by recent phylogenetic analyses (Goffinet et al., 2008). About ten species are currently accepted (WFO, 2024), and the type species is Seligeria recurvata (Hedw.) Bruch & Schimp. (Catcheside & La Farge, 2019). The plants are typically cushion‑forming, with delicate, erect stems and leaves that are lanceolate to ovate, often bearing a short hyaline point and a percurrent costa; leaf cells are linear and smooth, and the lamina is unistratose (Ignatov et al., 2016). The sporophyte is reduced: the seta is short, the capsule is erect, ovoid to cylindric, and bears a persistent operculum; the peristome is absent, and the spores are globose and smooth (Ignatov et al., 2016).

Species of Seligeria are distributed across the temperate and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the greatest concentration of diversity in the European mountain systems such as the Alps and Carpathians, where several narrow endemics occur (WFO, 2024). Seligeria calcarea is confined to calcareous cliffs of the Alps, while Seligeria seligerioides is known from the Rocky Mountains of North America. The genus typically inhabits exposed limestone or other base‑rich substrates, ranging from sea‑level coastal outcrops to alpine ledges above 3000 m (Catcheside & La Farge, 2019).

Sexual reproduction is dioecious; spores are wind‑dispersed and the gametophyte produces the characteristic reduced peristome. A base chromosome number of n = 10 has been reported for several species, including S. recurvata (Sollman, 2000). No asexual propagules are reported, and life‑history data are limited, indicating a research gap in understanding reproductive timing and seedling establishment (Catcheside & La Farge, 2019).

Molecular work confirms Seligeria as a distinct lineage within Grimmiales, and recent treatments do not recognize formal subgeneric sections, although two major clades have been identified (Catcheside & La Farge, 2019). Historically, some authors have placed the genus in Grimmiaceae, a view not upheld by current phylogenies (Goffinet et al., 2008). Alternative circumscriptions of species numbers persist across regional floras, reflecting the ongoing revision of the genus (WFO, 2024).

Humans have little direct use for Seligeria; the group is of interest mainly to bryologists and ecologists as an indicator of calcium‑rich, undisturbed habitats. No species are cultivated for horticulture, nor are they considered invasive or of timber value.

Conservation concerns focus on the narrow endemics that are vulnerable to habitat loss from quarrying, tourism, and climate‑induced changes in rock‑outcrop microclimates (Catcheside & La Farge, 2019). Further population surveys, genetic studies, and monitoring of climate impacts are needed to ensure the long‑term persistence of these specialists.

Pick a Species to see its components: