A Time-Course of Sporophyte Development in Funaria hygrometrica Hedw.

After a sporophyte of Funaria hygrometrica becomes evident at the tip of a gametophyte, ca. 65-70 days will elapse before a capsule is ma- tured, under greenhouse conditions. The sporophytes elongate for 2-2.5 weeks. Capsule expansion takes 9 days, and a day later pink coloration begins to appear at the tip of the operculum. The peristome teeth redden when the capsule is in its 12th day. During the 4th week after the start of capsule expansion, chlorosis begins, followed later by a reddening of the capsule and complete ripening. Sporophyte development can be visualized as including an elongation phase, a phase of capsule expansion and other premeiotic developments, and a phase of capsule ripening. The phase in which capsule expansion takes place may be regarded as the vegetative phase of capsule development.