Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 1, 2026

Tetraphis

Tetraphis is a genus of two species of mosses (Bryophyta). Its name refers to its four large peristome teeth.

Last revised
Jun 1, 2026
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Tetraphis
Tetraphis pellucida
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Embryophytes
Division: Bryophyta
Class: Tetraphidopsida
Order: Tetraphidales
Family: Tetraphidaceae
Genus: Tetraphis
Hedw.
Species
Synonyms

Georgia Müller Hal.

Tetraphis is a genus of two species of mosses (Bryophyta). Its name refers to its four large peristome teeth.

Reproduction

The sex of Tetraphis shoots can transform depending on the shoot density. When a colony is sparse female—gemmae-producing—shoots dominate. When the colony is sufficiently dense they transform into male shoots.1

This density-dependent sexual reproduction strategy is common in fish but Tetraphis is the first moss in which this has been documented.1

References

References