Brachythecium Schimp. is one of the most complex and diverse genus among the pleurocarpous mosses, having almost 150 species distributed around the world. The current study presents a detailed morphological analysis of the six species of the genus Brachythecium in Western Himalayas, Pakistan. The study reports the first detailed micromorphological investigation of the leaf surfaces (gametophyte) of the studied species because in pleurocarpous mosses, mostly sporophyte micromorphology has been studied. The objective of the study was to present a comparative light (LM) and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis to describe the detailed morphology of bryophytes in Pakistan. A systematic method was used in the field as well as in their microscopic studies. Based on these findings, morphological and micromorphological features based on LM and SEM observations, qualitative and quantitative characters, taxonomic keys, distribution and habitat are discussed. The size of the leaf, leaf cells, seta, and other parts were noted, but slight variation was observed when we compare these measurements with the same species collected from different geographical regions. The leaf micromorphology reveals some interesting features like the nature of cell walls, cell shapes, and the surface of the lumen. Because the specimens used for SEM were air-dried, the cells were mostly constricted and compressed. In almost all species except in Brachythecium garovaglioides, the papillae or cell wall ornamentations were absent. The study will help to contribute to the taxonomy of this genus or its family, especially in relation to the Western Himalayas.

中文翻译：

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喜马拉雅西部短柄蠹属（Brachytheciaceae，Bryopsida）宏观和微观形态特征的分类学意义：光和扫描电子显微镜联合分析

Brachythecium Schimp。是胸膜苔藓中最复杂和多样化的属之一，有近 150 种分布在世界各地。目前的研究对Brachythecium属的六个物种进行了详细的形态学分析。在巴基斯坦喜马拉雅西部。该研究报告了对所研究物种的叶表面（配子体）的首次详细微形态学研究，因为在胸膜苔藓中，主要研究了孢子体微形态学。该研究的目的是通过比较光 (LM) 和扫描电子显微镜 (SEM) 分析来描述巴基斯坦苔藓植物的详细形态。在该领域及其显微研究中使用了系统方法。基于这些发现，讨论了基于 LM 和 SEM 观察的形态和微形态特征、定性和定量特征、分类学关键、分布和栖息地。记录叶子的大小、叶细胞、刚毛和其他部分，但是当我们将这些测量结果与从不同地理区域收集的相同物种进行比较时，观察到了轻微的变化。叶片微形态揭示了一些有趣的特征，如细胞壁的性质、细胞形状和管腔表面。因为用于 SEM 的样品是风干的，所以细胞大多被收缩和压缩。在几乎所有物种中，除了Brachythecium garovaglioides，乳头或细胞壁纹饰不存在。该研究将有助于对该属或其科的分类，特别是与喜马拉雅西部有关的分类。