Campylopus introflexus
Campylopus schimperi
heath star moss
schimper's campylopus moss, schimper's fish-hook 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.
2.5–5 mm, appressed, from a narrow base gradually contracted to an acute, straight, concolorous subula;
alar cells little differentiated, only slightly wider than the basal laminal cells;
basal laminal cells thin-walled, hyaline, rectangular, at margins narrower, forming a small band;
distal laminal cells chlorophyllose, rectangular, ca. 4:1;
costa filling 1/2–2/3 of leaf width, shortly excurrent, in transverse section showing large adaxial hyalocysts, abaxial stereids absent, almost smooth at back.
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 frequently by deciduous stem tips.
not known in North America.
Campylopus introflexus
Campylopus schimperi
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.)
Records of Campylopus schimperi from Mexico and the Andes are doubtful. The taxonomic value of this species has often been doubted. It was frequently regarded as a variety of C. subulatus, which is similar in several respects. Campylopus schimperi, however, has more elongate, distal laminal cells (1:4 instead of 1:1.5–2) and abaxially nearly smooth costa (ridged in C. subulatus). Furthermore, C. schimperi is a species of arctic-alpine habitats and C. subulatus is found at low elevations. These anatomical as well as ecological differences indicate that C. schimperi should be regarded as a separate species.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
BC
CalFlora
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
