Campylopus introflexus
Campylopus gracilis
heath star moss
schwarz's campylopus moss
4–6 mm, erect-patent when wet, appressed when dry, lanceolate, straight, with entire margins;
alar cells absent or formed by thin-walled, hyaline to reddish, inflated cells;
basal laminal cells hyaline, rectangular, thin-walled, extending higher at margins and forming a V-shaped area;
distal laminal cells incrassate, shortly rectangular to oblique, chlorophyllose;
costa filling 1/2–3/4 of leaf width, excurrent in a hyaline hair tip, which is conspicuously 90° reflexed, in transverse section showing adaxial hyalocysts and abaxial stereids, shortly lamellose at back with ribs 1–2 cells high.
5–8 mm, erect when wet, appressed when dry, rarely falcate, narrowly lanceolate, ending in a long and fine, concolorous subula;
alar cells conspicuous, hyaline, projecting into the costa;
basal laminal cells hyaline, thin-walled, long-rectangular, lamina very short, ending at mid leaf, distal laminal cells short-rectangular or oblique, very small;
costa very broad, occupying 3/4–4/5 of leaf width, long-excurrent in a fine almost entire subula, in transverse section showing very large, lax adaxial hyalocysts filling half of the costa thickness and no abaxial stereids, faintly abaxially ridged.
7–12 mm, yellowish brown to brownish in age, often several sporophytes from the same plant, curved or sinuose.
brown, 1.5 mm, slightly asymmetric and curved when empty.
ciliate at base.
12–14 µm.
asexual reproduction occasionally by deciduous stem tips.
asexual reproduction by deciduous leaves or broken leaf tips.
not known.
Campylopus introflexus
Campylopus gracilis
Campylopus introflexus occurs in masses in sand dunes along the west coast of North America and throughout the Southern Hemisphere. The species was introduced in Great Britain in 1942, and since the beginning of the 1970s has been aggressively spreading through Europe. It now ranges from Iceland to Spain and from Ireland to Poland. The first record in North America dates from August, 1975, and was made on a gravel roof of a building of Humboldt University, Arcata, California. The species is undoubtedly introduced in North America and is spreading here as rapidly as in Europe. The name C. introflexus was used previously for C. pilifer, thus all old references for C. introflexus in North America have to be referred to that species. Also, specimens of C. surinamensis and C. oerstedianus from North America were named as C. introflexus. Campylopus introflexus is easily recognized by the reflexed hair points. Female plants have terminal perichaetial buds. Problems may rarely arise with forms from shaded habitats, in which the hairpoints are absent or so short that they are not reflexed.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Campylopus gracilis is easily recognized by a very broad costa, occupying 3/4 or more of the leaf width, very small shortly rectangular, distal laminal cells and large auricles projecting distinctly into the costa. In Europe, the species is found in similar situations in the highly oceanic parts as in the west coast of North America, where it is found on Queen Charlotte Islands and adjacent mainland. It is also found (as in C. atrovirens) in the Alps.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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