Splachnaceae
| Splachnaceae Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Splachnum sphaericum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Bryophyta |
| Class: | Bryopsida |
| Subclass: | Bryidae |
| Superorder: | Bryanae |
| Order: | Splachnales |
| Family: | Splachnaceae Grev. & Arn. |
| Genera | |
| |
Splachnaceae is a family of mosses, containing around 70 species in 6 genera. Around half of those species are entomophilous, using insects to disperse their spores, a characteristic found in no other seedless land plants.
Many species in this family are coprophilous, growing exclusively on animal faeces or carrion. For this reason, certain genera such as Splachnum Hedw. are often referred to as dung mosses.