Anomodon minor
Anomodon tristis
anomodon moss, rounded tongue moss
to 2.5(–6) cm, (0.6–)1–1.7 mm thick when dry, not or seldom branched, not pinnate, primary branches erect-ascending to arcuate, julaceous when dry, secondary branches not attenuate, often slightly clavate at apices;
central strand cells poorly or not differentiated;
pseudoparaphyllia absent;
rhizoids few.
0.5–1.5 cm, 0.3–0.5 mm thick when dry, rarely branched, primary branches prostrate;
central strand cells not differentiated;
pseudoparaphyllia absent;
rhizoids few.
imbricate, appressed, or rarely slightly crisped when dry, erect to spreading, complanate, not secund when moist, broadly oblong-ligulate, sometimes slightly spatulate, abruptly narrowed mid leaf, (1–)1.5–2.3(–3) mm;
base broadly decurrent;
margins undulate, sometimes infolded, sometimes dentate to spinulose at insertion because of very high papillae, entire at apex;
apex rounded, intact;
costa moderately strong, ending before apex, not obscured by laminal cells, often 2-fid at end, pellucid, abaxial costa cells papillose, papillae rounded-simple, in rows;
basal laminal cells hyaline, mostly papillose, region extending to 1/3 basal leaf portion;
medial and distal cells hexagonal, 7–12 µm wide, papillae many, branched.
julaceous when dry, spreading, not complanate when moist, delicate, narrowly ligulate to tapering, 0.5–0.9 mm;
base narrowly decurrent;
margins plane, crenulate toward apex by prominent papillae;
apex narrowly obtuse to acuminate, often broken off;
costa weak, ending before mid leaf, obscured by laminal cells almost throughout, pellucid proximally, abaxial costa cells smooth;
basal laminal cells few, pellucid, smooth, region not reaching margin;
medial cells round, 4 µm, papillae many, unbranched.
0.4–1.6 cm.
ovoid, urn 1.5–2.2 mm;
stomata absent;
annulus well developed;
operculum obliquely short-rostrate, 0.3–0.6 mm;
exostome teeth irregular, to 0.4 mm, not striolate proximally, papillose distally, often trabeculate;
endostome very reduced, basal membrane to 2 cells high, segments irregular, fragmentary.
(11–)13–18(–21) µm, smooth to faintly papillose.
on terminal branches, beyond distalmost branching points, leaves with distal laminal cells papillose.
rare, on terminal branches, leaves oblong, apex acuminate, laminal cells with 1 or 2 papillae per lumen.
unknown.
Anomodon minor
Anomodon tristis
Large plants of Anomodon minor with occasional noncomplanate leaves are distinguished from those of A. viticulosus by their more slender habit and smaller leaves, imbricate when dry and not secund when moist; A. viticulosus has more congested, secund branch leaves. Often A. minor has strongly spinulose basal marginal cells, like those of the auricles of A. rugelii. The lack of auricles and the thick papillae on the abaxial costa distinguish A. minor, although the presence of obvious papillae is not absolutely consistent. Characters that have been taken as of great taxonomic value for A. minor and A. rugelii may be found mixed. The only characters that remain congruent are the auricles (sometimes extremely reduced) and foliose pseudoparaphylla of A. rugelii (absent in all specimens of A. minor). Anomodon thraustus, rare in North America, has been misidentified as A. minor, but the distal costa of the latter remains pellucid for most of its length and often becomes asymmetrically 2-fid. In North America A. minor requires mesic habitats and fruits infrequently.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Although the degree to which the apex breaks off is variable within Anomodon tristis, the character allows for easy identification of this species and others in sect. Haplohymenium. However, other taxa outside the section also present this feature.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
IL Wildflowers
KS Wildflowers
LA Plants
MD Biodiversity
MI Flora
MN Wildflowers
MO Plants
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
