Flora of North America species comparison

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Brotherella recurvans

Sematophyllaceae

recurved brotherella moss, satin moss
Habit Plants medium-sized, in dense mats, pale green to yellow-green. Plants in small to large mats, usually golden to yellow-green, glossy or dull.
Stem(s)

2–6 cm, 1.5–2 mm wide across main leafy shoot, markedly complanate-foliate, subpinnate to irregularly branched, strongly falcate-secund toward substrate at stem and branch apices;

pseudoparaphyllia narrowly to lanceolate-filamentous.

leaves erect-spreading, wide-spreading, falcate-secund, or homomallous, lanceolate to broadly ovate, tapering gradually or abruptly to apex;

margins often toothed in acumen;

apex acute to acuminate; ecostate or costa double, short;

alar region well defined, pigmented, cells in proximal row strongly elongate and inflated, or not inflated and walls thicker;

laminal cells usually flexuose, smooth or papillose (serially or 1-papillose);

medial cells occasionally linear.
Leaves

falcate-secund, ovate, tapering to apex, 1–1.5 mm;

margins toothed in acumen;

alar cells 3 or 4, yellowish.

Branch leaves

smaller, narrower;

alar cells less strongly differentiated.
Seta

light brown, 1–1.5 cm.

reddish brown, red, or light brown, elongate, smooth.
Sexual condition

dioicous.

synoicous, dioicous, phyllodioicous, or autoicous.
Capsule

inclined, oblong-cylindric, somewhat asymmetric;

operculum short-rostrate.

inclined or erect, cylindric or ovoid;

exothecial cell walls usually collenchymatous, irregularly thickened;

operculum usually rostrate;

peristome double.
Calyptra

cucullate [mitrate].
Specialized

asexual reproduction by flagelliferous branches or axillary filamentous propagula.

Brotherella recurvans

Sematophyllaceae
Phenology Capsules mature late fall.
Habitat Logs, humus, tree trunks, rock, forests
Elevation low to high elevations
Distribution
from FNA
AL; CT; GA; IA; IL; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; SC; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
Nearly worldwide; predominantly tropical to temperate regions
Discussion

Brotherella recurvans resembles Pseudotaxiphyllum elegans (Hypnaceae) superficially, but is generally larger and has inflated alar cells and a toothed apiculus. Branches and main shoots of B. recurvans bear leaves of similar size and areolation, and branching tends to be irregular. The laminal cells are usually linear to sinuate-linear.

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

Genera 40, species ca. 150 (9 genera, 15 species in the flora).

Sematophyllaceae are a reasonably coherent family, based on the genera in the flora area, but in the tropics the boundaries are more difficult to define.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Laminal cells 1-seriate multipapillose
→ 2
1. Laminal cells smooth or rarely 1-papillose
→ 3
2. Stems complanate-foliate; alar cells enlarged or weakly inflated; sexual condition autoicous.
Taxithelium
2. Stems not complanate-foliate; alar cells inflated; sexual condition dioicous or phyllodioicous.
Wijkia
3. Alar cells enlarged, quadrate or rectangular, walls thick, middle lamella apparent.
Heterophyllium
3. Alar cells usually inflated, rounded or sometimes elongate, walls usually thin, middle lamella not apparent
→ 4
4. Alar region in 1 row, supra-alar cells not apparently differentiated.
Acroporium
4. Alar region in 1-several rows; supra-alar cells differentiated
→ 5
5. Capsules erect to suberect.
Donnellia
5. Capsules usually inclined
→ 6
6. Leaf margins entire.
Sematophyllum
6. Leaf margins serrate to serrulate near apex (rarely entire in Brotherella henonii)
→ 7
7. Stems complanate-foliate; leaves erect-spreading to falcate-secund, especially at shoot and branch apices.
Brotherella
7. Stems not complanate-foliate; leaves usually not falcate-secund
→ 8
8. Stem leaves ovate.
Hageniella
8. Stem leaves lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, or if ovate, then apex long, abruptly piliferous
→ 9
9. Leaves strongly curved; alar cell walls thick, supra-alar cells many, quadrate.
Pylaisiadelpha
9. Leaves straight; alar cell walls thin, supra-alar cells few, quadrate to rhombic.
Wijkia
Source FNA vol. 28, p. 578. FNA vol. 28, p. 571. Author: Wilfred B. Schofield†.
Parent taxa Sematophyllaceae > Brotherella
Sibling taxa
B. canadensis, B. henonii, B. roellii
Subordinate taxa
Acroporium, Brotherella, Donnellia, Hageniella, Heterophyllium, Pylaisiadelpha, Sematophyllum, Taxithelium, Wijkia
Synonyms Leskea recurvans, B. delicatula, Rhynchostegium delicatulum
Name authority (Michaux) M. Fleischer: Nova Guinea 12: 120. (1914) Brotherus
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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