Amblystegium serpens
Amblystegium
amblystegium moss, creeping feather-moss
amblystegium moss
and branch leaves similar, soft, not complanate, slightly concave;
costa 10–30 µm wide at base;
alar region reaching from margin 65% distance to costa at insertion;
medial laminal cells 12–55 × 7–12 µm, 3–5:1, walls firm, slightly incrassate, eporose.
and branch leaves erect to spreading, straight or rarely subsecund, ovate to oblong-lanceolate, not plicate, 0.5–1 mm;
base not decurrent;
margins plane, entire or denticulate, limbidia absent;
apex acuminate, acumen not furrowed;
costa single, usually reaching mid leaf, sometimes shorter or to 3/4 leaf length;
alar cells often well differentiated, subquadrate to transversely elongate, region broadly ovate or transversely triangular along margin;
medial laminal cells short-oblong;
marginal cells 1-stratose.
reddish, elongate, 1–2.5 cm.
autoicous.
1.5–2 mm, neck well developed;
operculum conic.
inclined to horizontal, cylindric, arcuate;
peristome perfect;
exostome teeth well developed, external surface cross striolate basally, margins dentate or slightly so;
endostome basal membrane present, cilia usually well developed.
spheric, smooth to minutely papillose.
9–18 µm.
with inner leaves suddenly narrowed to apex, plicate, apex acuminate.
Amblystegium serpens
Amblystegium
Variable features in Amblystegium serpens include the serration of the leaf margin, which ranges from entire to serrulate or even serrate; length of the costa, from very short (less than 1/5 of leaf length) to subpercurrent; the subquadrate to transversely elongate alar cells; and leaf stance, which ranges from erect to spreading. These last two characters have sometimes been used to recognize a separate taxon, var. juratzkanum. However, the continuous range of variation of these characters precludes any infraspecific division within A. serpens, which is a fairly well-circumscribed species with comparatively low levels of plasticity with regard to species of Hygroamblystegium.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Species 1.
Amblystegium differs from Hygroamblystegium in its smaller size and weaker costa, this less than 30 µm wide at base, most often ceasing mid leaf; the costa rarely reaches 3/4 of leaf length but in such cases is straight, not curved as in Hygroamblystegium. Unlike the latter genus, Amblystegium lacks paraphyllia. Amblystegium is a terrestrial genus that sometimes occurs in swampy but never aquatic or subaquatic habitats.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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