Miehea (Family Leskeaceae), a genus new to moss flora of China

Miehea indica (Dixon) Ochyra is reported as a new generic and species record of the moss flora of China. Although Miehea appeared on the annotated checklist of Chinese mosses of Redfearn et al. (1996), no voucher specimen was ever cited. The taxonomic position of Miehea remains uncertain. It was either put in the Hylocomiaceae based on the presence of foliose paraphyllia and a sympodial growth-form or in the Thuidiaceae on the basis of shared leaf-shape and leaf areolation. After examining the ontogeny of the undivided and foliose paraphyllia of M. indica, a closer relationship to Leskeaceae is thus proposed.