Trichocoleaceae

Terrestrial, lithophytic or epiphytic, dioicous. Asexual reproduction rarely by fragmentation of cilia (not in Victoria). Stems erect (not in Victoria) or prostrate to procumbent, regularly 1–3-pinnate or irregularly and sparingly branched and without a dominant main stem (not in Victoria), with or without (not in Victoria) paraphyllia; branches emerging from main stem abaxial to modified lateral leaf with fewer lobes or rarely beside an underleaf with fewer lobes (not in Victoria) and without a collar of tissue at base, rarely tapering and becoming flagelliform with reduced leaves (not in Victoria). Lateral leaves reniform to flabellate in outline, asymmetric or symmetric (not in Victoria), with a short basal undivided disc, dissected into 2–8 primary lobes, these further divided, either furcately or pinnately to eventually become uniseriate cilia, or undivided but attenuating to eventually become uniseriate cilia, incubous (not in Victoria) to succubous, distant to imbricate; lobes usually with 1–several uniseriate marginal cilia; cilia simple, forked or pinnate, often in opposing pairs, sometimes verticillate in groups of three, straight or curved, 2–8 cells long, acute to obtuse at apex. Underleaves similar to lateral leaves but often more symmetric, smaller and less divided. Leaf cells polygonal and ± isodiametric at base, becoming more elongate towards lobes, elongate in lobes and rectangular to oblong in cilia, smooth, striate-verrucose or papillose, sometimes bearing cilia on disc, thin- to thick-walled, without trigones, with 3–33 oil bodies; oil bodies mostly spherical to ovoid or occasionally ellipsoid to fusiform, homogenous, smooth to coarsely granular, grey. Rhizoids when present, poorly developed at bases of underleaves, without internal peg-like thickenings, hyaline. Androecia intercalary on main stem, with 6–20 pairs of leaf-like bracts, each with 1–3 antheridia. Sporophyte terminal on main stem or occasionally branches, developing within a coelocaule, with (not in Victoria) or without a perianth and calyptra; coelocaule low, cylindric and concealed by well-developed bracts (not in Victoria) or obpyriform to clavate, covered in bractlets and paraphyllia; perianth when present (not in Victoria) campanulate, bilobed a third of its height to near to the base, non-plicate, often covered in cilia, with a laciniate-ciliate mouth; capsule spherical (not in Victoria) or ellipsoid to obloid, 3–8-stratose, dehiscing by 4 regular valves or rarely irregularly dehiscent into 6–8 valves (not in Victoria); elaters bispiral or rarely trispiral (not in Victoria); spores globose, granulate to finely rugose, reddish brown.