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

bartramia moss

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

1–3(–5) cm.

0.5–1 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.

erect-appressed when dry, erect and slightly spreading when moist, narrowly lanceolate, 1.5–2.5 mm;

base sheathing, shoulders well developed, firm, not eroded;

margins plane to weakly revolute proximally, plane distally, serrulate distally, teeth single;

apex subulate, usually intact;

costa percurrent, prominent in distal limb, distal abaxial surface rough;

basal laminal cell walls thin;

distal cells 12–25 × 4–6 µm, prorulae high.

Seta

0.8–3 cm, straight.

1–2 cm, straight.

Sexual condition

synoicous;

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

autoicous or 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, globose to ovoid, symmetric, 1–1.5 mm;

operculum conic;

peristome absent.

Spores

25–40 µm.

24–35 µm.

Bartramia ithyphylla

Bartramia subulata

Phenology Capsules mature Jul–Nov. Capsules mature Aug–Nov.
Habitat Soil, rock Bare soil in montane tundra
Elevation low to high elevations (0-3800 m) (low to high elevations (0-12500 ft)) high elevations (3500-4000 m) (high elevations (11500-13100 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
CO; Europe; Asia (China, India, Japan)
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 subulata, limited in the flora area to the high mountains of Colorado, is a diminutive species with erect, symmetric capsules that might be mistaken for B. stricta. The latter species, however, has a well-developed exostome, the leaf base is not sheathing, and shoulders are absent or, at best, weakly developed.

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

Source FNA vol. 28, p. 104. FNA vol. 28, p. 105.
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. stricta
Synonyms B. ithyphylla var. breviseta, B. ithyphylla subsp. rigidula
Name authority Bridel: Muscol. Recent. 2(3): 132, plate 1, fig. 6. (1803) Bruch & Schimper: Bryol. Europ. 4: 53, plate 315. (1846)
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