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bartramia moss, straight-leaf apple-moss, straight-leaf bartramia

bartramia moss, rigid apple moss

Habit Plants in lax to dense tufts, soft green to glaucous. Plants in dense tufts, glaucous to brownish green.
Stems

1–3(–5) cm.

1–3 cm.

Leaves

stiffly erect when dry, spreading when moist, linear, 4–5 mm;

base sheathing, shoulders well developed, firm;

margins plane, serrulate to serrate distally, teeth paired distally;

apex acuminate, subulate;

costa excurrent, obscure in distal limb;

basal laminal cell walls thin;

medial and distal cells 25–45 × 5–7 µm, prorulae relatively low.

stiffly erect-appressed when dry, erect-spreading when moist, narrowly lanceolate, 2.5–4 mm;

base not sheathing, shoulders absent;

margins recurved from near base to distal acumen, serrulate distally, teeth single;

apex narrowly aristate;

costa excurrent, abaxially prominent, distal abaxial surface rough;

basal laminal cell walls thin;

medial and distal cells 12–20 × 4–6 µm, prorulae low.

Seta

0.8–3 cm, straight.

0.1–1.5 cm, straight.

Sexual condition

synoicous;

perichaetial leaves somewhat longer than stem leaves, 6 mm, more strongly clasping.

synoicous.

Capsule

inclined, subglobose to ovoid, asymmetric, 1 mm;

operculum short-conic;

peristome double;

exostome teeth 300–400 µm, strongly transversely barred, finely papillose proximally, smooth distally;

endostome basal membrane present, segments 1/2–2/3 length of teeth and somewhat adherent to them, smooth, cilia absent or rudimentary.

erect, subglobose to ovoid, symmetric, 1.4–2 mm;

operculum conic convex;

peristome single;

exostome teeth 250–300 µm, striolate papillose proximally, smooth distally;

endostome absent.

Spores

25–40 µm.

22–26 µm.

Bartramia ithyphylla

Bartramia stricta

Phenology Capsules mature Jul–Nov. Capsules mature Jan–Aug.
Habitat Soil, rock Soil, rock
Elevation low to high elevations (0-3800 m) (low to high elevations (0-12500 ft)) low to high elevations (10-2300 m) (low to high elevations (0-7500 ft))
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CA; CO; ID; ME; MI; MT; NH; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NB; NL; NU; QC; YT; e Asia (Taiwan); n Africa; Greenland; Europe; s South America (Argentina); c Africa
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CA; NM; TX; BC; Europe; sw Asia (Syria, Turkey); n Africa; c Africa; Australia
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Bartramia ithyphylla is essentially an arctic-alpine species with disjunct populations in austral South America and the high mountains of Africa. In the flora area, the species frequents tundra and montane forest habitats with occasional occurrence at low to moderate elevations at northern latitudes. The glistening white leaf base is distinctive. The obscure costa in the distal limb and elongate distal laminal cells bearing low prorulae distinguish B. ithyphylla from other small species of the genus in the flora area. The distal leaves are sometimes divergent. Reports of Bartramia breviseta Lindberg [B. ithyphylla var. breviseta (Lindberg) Kindberg by some authors] from high elevations in Colorado likely represent misidentifications. In B. breviseta the capsules are overtopped by the perichaetial leaves (the seta is 1–3 mm), and the costa fills the acumen. As presently understood, B. breviseta is an arctic-alpine species of the Old World.

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

Bartramia stricta is a widespread Old World species occurring infrequently in the southwestern portion of the flora area, with an isolated occurrence in western Canada. The strict, appressed leaves without shoulders and with relatively uniform areolation from base to acumen aid in recognition. When fertile, the erect, symmetric capsules and single but well-developed peristome are diagnostic. Confusion between this species and Anacolia laevisphaera may occur, especially with sterile material. In the latter, the apices of the distal leaves are often divergent when dry, spreading recurved when moist, with the inner basal laminal cells more differentiated than those of the basal angles compared with basal areolation in B. stricta.

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

Source FNA vol. 28, p. 104. FNA vol. 28, p. 103.
Parent taxa Bartramiaceae > Bartramia Bartramiaceae > Bartramia
Sibling taxa
B. brevifolia, B. halleriana, B. pomiformis, B. potosica, B. stricta, B. subulata
B. brevifolia, B. halleriana, B. ithyphylla, B. pomiformis, B. potosica, B. subulata
Synonyms B. ithyphylla var. breviseta, B. ithyphylla subsp. rigidula
Name authority Bridel: Muscol. Recent. 2(3): 132, plate 1, fig. 6. (1803) Bridel: Muscol. Recent. 2(3): 132, plate 1, fig. 5. (1803)
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