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Habit Plants small, filiform to wiry, dark brownish green. Plants small to large, in dense or loose mats, glaucous, green, brown, or yellowish brown, dull.
Stem(s)

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.

and branch leaves differentiated.;

stem leaves scalelike, minute;

apex acute-acuminate to rounded;

costa single, long, ending below apex, thick, usually pellucid, or double and short;

laminal cells short.

Branch leaves

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.

with costa single, ending sharply at or near apex, pellucid.

Seta

dark to light reddish or brown, flexuose.

Sexual condition

dioicous.

Capsule

erect, exserted;

operculum conic to obliquely short-rostrate;

exostome whitish yellow to pale brown, often striolate at base and papillose.

Perichaetia

rare, on terminal branches, leaves oblong, apex acuminate, laminal cells with 1 or 2 papillae per lumen.

Sporophytes

unknown.

Anomodon tristis

Anomodontaceae

Habitat Bark of trees, deciduous forests
Elevation moderate to high elevations
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CT; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; HI; NB; NS; ON; QC; Mexico (Jalisco, Nuevo León, Sonora, Veracruz); Central America (Costa Rica); South America (Bolivia); Europe; Asia
North America; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies; Europe; e Asia; Africa; Pacific Islands; Australia; circumboreal areas
Discussion

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.)

Genera 4, species ca. 20 (2 genera, 9 species in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Branch leaves broadly ovate to lanceolate, ± abruptly narrowed mid leaf; laminal cells with papillae 1 or many.
Anomodon
1. Branch leaves ovate-lanceolate, gradually tapered from base to apex; laminal cells smooth.
Herpetineuron
Source FNA vol. 28, p. 633. FNA vol. 28, p. 629. Author: Íñigo Granzow-de la Cerda.
Parent taxa Anomodontaceae > Anomodon
Sibling taxa
A. attenuatus, A. longifolius, A. minor, A. rostratus, A. rugelii, A. thraustus, A. viticulosus
Subordinate taxa
Anomodon, Herpetineuron
Synonyms Leskea tristis, Haplohymenium triste, Hypnum triste
Name authority (Cesati) Sullivant & Lesquereux: in W. S. Sullivant, Musc. Hepat. U.S., 241. (1856) Kindberg
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